We Own the Sky
by ghostbones
Summary: A collection of one-shots focused on the small, everyday moments between Natsu and Lucy.
1. Spring Summer Aroma

**Spring-Summer Aroma**

Natsu rested his chin against the hardwood of the table as he lazily eyed Lucy who sat at the other end of the table reading some book. He sulked, wanting to play. Today the guild was boring, what with practically everyone off on some mission or other. The warm midday sunlight was diffused lightly throughout the room keeping the guild at a nice warm temperature, chatter from those who still remained filtered throughout the room, a soft buzz. Sighing heavily, Natsu breathed out a small puff of frustrated fire. He wanted so badly to blow of some steam.

"_Natsu,_" Lucy hissed as she glared at him with her soft brown eyes, "If you plan to sit there and sigh forever, go somewhere else. I'm trying to read."

Scowling pitifully the dragon slayer pouted, "But Luce… it's boring! There isn't anyone to play with. You're boring today, Luce."

She narrowed her eyes in irritation, "Well _excuse _me for not being your personal play toy." Clicking her tongue in disapproval she gathered her book and made to stand.

"Where are you going…?" his voice had a slight bite of loneliness and Lucy offered a small smile.

"I'm just going to go sit at the bar and read. I'm almost done, so we can hang out some after that, okay?" Flashing her small perfect white teeth at him as she went to the bar and asked Mirajane to pour her a glass of juice.

Mood brightening at the prospect of some sort of amusement, Natsu's mood lightened only for seconds later to be distracted by the scent that wafted into his nostrils as Lucy walked away. Letting it fill his senses, he folded his arms over the table and nestled his head on them. He liked the way her smell lingered in his nose and settled inside of him. Somehow she always managed to smell like spring, year round. Like budding, blooming flowers. It was always something that was very very specific about her and only her. It was probably how he could always find her no matter what, even in a big crowd chalk full of robust heavy scents.

Lucy's particular scent was always relaxing to him. Well… usually. Sometimes the way she smells excited him in a strange way that made his insides boil and his skin rise in temperature. Like when they were on missions and they'd been walking for miles and the sweat glistened on her skin, dotted her brow. It was like she was in full bloom, her scent so thick in him that he could hardly bare it. It makes him dizzy, but at the same time it makes his mouth water. It's always such a weird sensation, like he wants to eat her.

And then there are other times that puzzle him. Her scent almost morphs completely, changing seasons. It happens every once in awhile and he's not quite sure why it happens. But they'll be sitting around, hanging out or goofing off and suddenly she smells like summer spice. All heady and hot and spicy. That particular scent is always so powerful he can almost taste it on his tongue. Just thinking about it made the skin on his arms prickle, his insides heating up. When Lucy smells like that, he almost always gets this bizarre urge to push her down, devour her body and her soul. The thought made him lick his lips.

"Ew, what is that creepy face for?" Lucy pinched his arm, letting him known she'd finished her book.

"Who's creepy? You're creepy for lurking and stalking me with your creeper skills. Creeper ninja, nin nin!" He smirked at her and she just looked at him, unimpressed.

Rolling her eyes, Lucy stuck her tongue out at him, "Who's a creeper, asshole? But anyways, you wanna hang out now? What do you want to do?"

Jumping out of his seat and landing next to his partner, arms extended towards the ceiling in a stretch, "Mmmm, lets go fishing! Let's have a picnic!" He laughed as they left the building, all the while taking in her soft spring time aroma, content just being near her.

**Author's Note: So, this is my first natsu/lucy fanfic! I have been dying to write about them for the past few weeks and finally decided to sit down and get to it. I always loved the idea of Natsu liking the way Lucy smells XD And i've read it in a few fics but I wanted to sort of embellish upon it a little bit. **

**I hope you guys enjoyed it and I hope you'll drop a line and tell me if you liked it or not. I hope to write more soonish since I am pretty much living eating and breathing natsu/lucy right now. I actually wrote out a whole bunch of scenarios I would like to get out, but if you guys have any suggestions of requests I'd love to hear them!**


	2. Damsel in Distress

**Damsel in Distress**

The night was still young as the stars twinkled happily in the sky, the city below them glittered with night life. Sitting on a hill that over looked the beauty of it all, Lucy sat alone, knees pulled to her chest. A weird sinking feeling settled in her stomach as she rested her chin against the smooth skin of her legs. It was the end of another reckless action filled job that left her and her friends a little more than exhausted. Of course, she wasn't too badly wounded in comparison to the others.

Somehow the thought of her own lack of battle wounds made her sulk more, bowing her head down.

They all worked so hard, pushing themselves above and beyond their limits and she was lagging behind.

"Hey! Lucy!" she heard her name cheerfully called a short ways down the hill from her. The blond raised her soft brown eyes for a moment to take in her pink haired partner and then quickly lowered them again and hugged herself tighter.

Honestly, she wasn't in the mood to deal with him. She wanted to wallow in her pity a bit longer before she sucked it up and got over it.

Finally reaching the top of the hill, standing in front of his friend, Natsu smiled down at her, his pointed canines pushing against the skin of his lips. "So this is where you've been hiding?" he laughed and flopped onto the ground next to her, "Everyone was lookin' for ya. It's about time for dinner."

Lucy just scowled and looked forward towards the gleaming lights of the town that wasn't hers. "Yeah… I wanted to be alone for a bit."

"Oh yeah?" but he didn't get a hint and stayed firmly in place next to her. "Something on your mind?"

"Not really."

"C'mon, Luce. I'm not stupid, I can tell that something's eating at you. You can tell me."

Huffing, the stellar mage moved her face down to press it against her knees, "Don't wanna talk about it."

"Hm…." Natsu stared at her for a moment, seemingly unimpressed by her lack of willing. Without caring for her feeling at the moment, Natsu leaned over to uncurl her arms and legs (not without quite a bit of fussing and cussing on Lucy's part) and unceremoniously pounced on her, pushing her back to the cool grass.

"W-what are you doing, stupid!" Lucy hissed at him, cheeks coloring slightly.

Grinning from ear to ear, Natsu press his lips to her forehead and to her eyelids. Little sprinkles of hot touch to her skin. Finally he stopped at her mouth, lingering there before pulling away. "Lucy, tell me what's up. I won't take no for an answer. I'll get it out of you some way or another."

Staring up at him incredulously but altogether affectionately, she sighed and looked away, "But it's so _stupid_."

"Stupid or not, I wanna know."

"….Promise not to judge me?"

Natsu paused and looked at her for a moment, thoughtful. "I dunno about that… sometimes you come up with some weird shit in your head, Luce."

"….."

He laughed, 'Just kidding, just kidding. I won't judge you, I promise." As he finished he rolled onto his side and left one arm loosely slung across her slim waist. "So spill."

"….I guess… that I was just thinking about how you don't… come look after me like you do with the others. You're always there to catch them if they fall, especially Erza and Grey. But… what about me…? I guess I feel… a bit overlooked sometimes."

For a long moment Natsu stared at his blond counterpart, "Luce….. is that really all?"

"What do you mean 'is that really all'?" Lucy knit her delicate brows together in irritation as she tried to pull away from his strong hold. That was certainly not the response she was looking for.

The dragon-slayer wasn't planning to let her go anytime soon, so he simply pulled her tighter on his side. "Man, Luce, I didn't mean to piss you off when I said that."

"Then what? I'm practically telling you this selfish secret thought and that's all you have to say? Really?" Feeling the frustration of not being taken seriously, Lucy desperately wanted to kick him. Instead she settled on a pout which only made the fire mage laugh, deep and full. The sound vibrated through her body and made her relax just a little bit. His laughter always had that affect on her.

"What I meant, Luce, was that I don't need to catch you," he said matter-of-factly.

"And what in the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You're not really the damsel in distress type, Luce. You pick your battles better than anyone I know. You always win. And I _know_ you'll always win." Pride flickered in his dark hazel eyes as he watched her for a moment, "I don't need to be a hero for you, Lucy. You're amazing all on your own, with or without me."

The stellar mage looked up at Natsu for a moment, dumbstruck by his words. "O….oh?" Was all she managed to squeeze out of her lips.

"Yeah," he grinned once more as he moved his hand up to brush the pale blond hair from her face, his entire demeanor softening as he watched her face slowly light up, her doe like brown eyes glittering with renewed confidence. "You're reliable, Luce. You know your shit and you can take care of yourself. "

Slowly a smile spread over her soft pink mouth and she nestled her face into the crook of his neck. Somehow his words made her feel elated, and suddenly she felt more than satisfied with the circumstances. She could see it from a different light now. Lucy never really regarded herself as strong, but somehow hearing him praise her, it instilled a certain confidence in herself. It motivated her to want to be more than just reliable. She wanted to better herself as much as she could so she could stand strong and tall by his side.

"But you know what?" he said as he brush his warm fingers over the bit of exposed skin on her side where he shirt rode up.

"What?"

Wrapping his arm around he, Natsu gave her a big squeeze, "If for any reason you find yourself falling… I promise I'll be there before you hit the ground."

* * *

**A/N: So here is the second chapter of my oneshot collection! I hope you guys like it. I guess I wrote this in response to the fact that Natsu pretty much saves everyone. He's just that kind of guy. But I always wanted to maybe have lucy have a little bit of that nonsensical jealousy and a little bit of general fluffiness.I've got another installment in the works, it just needs a little bit of tweaking and it'll be up soon.**

**I hope you'll review~ Tell me if you like it, or even if you don't like it!  
**


	3. Unexpected

**Unexpected**

It has been exactly six years, four months and eight days since Lucy met Natsu and joined her beloved guild, Fairy Tail. Thing were always fun and exciting there. Over the years she had grown stronger than she had ever imagined and the thought elated her as she had even managed to become an S-class mage. Of course, she would never be able to compare the the shine of her friends. Natsu and Grey were now known as some of the most powerful wizards in country. Perhaps they even rival Erza's power now which is a feat in itself. In addition to everything else, Lucy also pursued her dream of publishing a novel and it was celebrated throughout the country of Fiore as well as spreading into other countries as well. Along with her novel, she had also published a collection of short stories detailing some of the adventures that she had been on with her friends.

All in all, her life in Fairy Tail was everything she could have asked for and more. Though that isn't to say she expected _this. _Resting in the little sun drenched hospital room, Lucy sighed for the millionth time, a little smile playing across her pink lips. There in her thin, dainty arms, Lucy cradled the tiniest creature. Small pink fists curled up against it's chest, little fleeting breaths warmed the skin of her hands. Her smile grew wider and wider until it almost hurt. Lucy could have sworn she hadn't stopped grinning since she saw her. Her sweet, perfect baby.

Lifting her head at the sound of the door opening, her brown doe-like eyes lit up. "Ah, Natsu, where did you go?" she asked as he came to sit next to her on the bed, leaning in to brush his big warm hand over the little tufts of pale pink hair that graced the child's head.

"Mm, I just went to tell everyone that they can come in a bit. That you wanted some time with the baby without a bunch of weirdos crowding you." He grinned his crooked grin and Lucy couldn't help but feel her heart well up with joy all over again. "Besides, _I _want some time alone with the both of you before I have to share."

Leaning into the hand that now cupped her cheek, Lucy felt overwhelmed with a happiness she didn't even think was possible until today. In fact, when she found out she was pregnant she thought the world as she knew it was coming to an end. Honestly, she was only 23 when it happened, still in the prime of her youth. Who the hell would want kids at that age? And despite the horror that filled her up, she couldn't bear to get rid of the thing. Not that she would dare ever call the tiny little girl in her arm a 'thing' again.

Now that she was here, after nine months of hormones and a fat, bloated stomach (and boy, was she glad to know she could have her smokin' hot body back), Lucy couldn't think of anything else she could want more than this small warm baby in her arms. "She's so….. perfect…" the tears were rushing to her eyes as she felt that life consuming elation fill her again.

Laughing, not as loudly today because he didn't want to wake the baby, Natsu put a tan muscled arm around Lucy's shoulders and pulled her and their child to his chest. "Yeah, she's definitely perfect," and his lips curled into the softest smile that Lucy has ever seen, "She'll also be the most loved kid in all of Fiore. Everyone in Fairy Tail is in love with her already and they haven't even met her yet."

"I hope she won't be too spoiled," Lucy thought humorously as she imagined all of their rowdy friends.

"She'll be a lot like her mom then," Natsu laughed again, a low rumble that vibrated through her, warming her skin.

Narrowing her eyes at him, Lucy pouted, "Hey now…. are you _trying_ to piss me off?"

Smirking at her, Natsu didn't bother answering her. Rather, he leaned down and kissed her on the mouth. It wasn't a kiss that Lucy thought was appropriate for the situation. It was possessive, heady and it was sweltering. Just the sheer temperature of his mouth on hers made her cheeks flush, but she knew that the intensity and the passion had something to do with it too. Even though it might not be an appropriate kiss to share in a hospital, or while holding their newborn child in their arms, it was appropriate for Natsu. He could never hold back his passion.

Breaking away, his face was smug which made Lucy roll her eyes. "I can't wait for to get you out of this place and back into _my _bed."

"Natsu… that's hardly appropriate in front of the baby."

He chuckled, "What? She doesn't even understand what we're talking about. In fact, she's sleeping."

"You have such a one track mind." Lucy scoffed lightly but her words were hardly effective as she leaned in to capture another one of those scorching kisses.

* * *

**A/N: I was actually a bit nervous about writing this one. It was actually really hard for me to think about Lucy and Natsu having a baby xD I hope they are still in character… I tried. But I guess I hadn't seen **_**too **_**many people right about Natsu and Lucy having a baby. I would be lying if I said it wasn't fun , and I apologize for any of my spelling and grammar errors. I don't have a beta, so... I hope you'll bear with me.  
**

**I hope you'll leave me some feedback guys! It'll make these come much much faster.**


	4. Treat

**Treat**

Lucy leaned out of the window of her cute little apartment. The night was still young and the city glowed with life. Looking at the streets below her the sidewalk was littered with boisterous people and children could be seen running back and forth, decked out in colorful costumes, bags filled to the brim with candy hanging off of their small arms. The city was decorated with artfully carved pumpkins, dotted with playful bats and spiders. The festivities hung heavily in the air.

"Ah… I wanna go trick or treating!" Lucy whined, her blond hair swaying in the light breeze before she pulled away to flop back onto the bed. "No fair! Why am I too old to dress up and get treats."

"Eh?" Natsu cracked an eye open from her spot at the foot of the bed, "Why bother? You'll only complain about the calories or whatever is in candy and how you'll get fat or something."

Sticking out a glossy pink lip, she huffed, "Ugh, whatever. It would be fun." For a moment she just sat with her legs crossed and eyed him as he closed his eyes again, jiggling his foot to some beat in his head. "Hey, Natsu," she stretched forward on her hands and moved her face closer to his, "Lets go walk around town, we can get dinner too."

"Don't wanna." He responded without hesitation.

Lucy stared at him for a moment, eyes narrowed. When did Natsu ever decline food. _Ever_! Shocked and frightened, Lucy's brown eyes widened, "A-are you _sick_ or something?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" annoyance flashed across his face as he opened his eyes.

Snaking her body over his until she was straddling him, the Stellar mage frowned, "Natsu Dragoneel never passes up food." Pressing her hands to his shoulders and sliding them down his biceps, she smiled. "Clearly something has gone awry!"

"What the hell are you talking about, Luce?" He made a face of confusion as he moved his arms from behind his head to rest on her generous hips, the pads of his thumbs rubbed the exposed skin of her mid-drift. "Food isn't the only thing on my mind."

"Yes it is."

"No it isn't."

"Yes it is."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Ye-" she stopped mid word and narrowed her eyes, "I'm not playing this dumbass game with you. But anyways, why don't you wanna go out? It's so nice today! There's probably a lot of stuff to see. And then I'm sure we could probably meet up with everyone. Like Gray and Erza and maybe Levy and-"

Natsu grunted, interrupting her train of thought as he quickly leaned up, encasing her in his arms, "I don't want to hang out with them today."

"Why not?" she pouted again.

"Because," the dragon slayer moved his hands down and then under the thin fabric of her t-shirt, feeling the smooth skin of her back. "We see 'em all the time. I want it to just be us tonight."

Watching his face for a moment, her features softened and she slid her arms around his neck and pressed into his hard muscled body. The bright lights from the streets below were enough to illuminate the room so that the two of them could see each other almost perfectly. Lucy smiled as she brought her lips to his in a feathery light kiss, her fingers tips danced across his shoulders as they slipped down to his bare chest. "I think I can deal with that…" she hummed against his lips, "Just you and me…"

Pushing her back so that he was laying on top of her he grinned against the sensitive skin of her neck. "Besides, who needs to go trick or treating, when the best treat is right here," Natsu pulled back just enough to flash the stellar mage a devilish grin before he moved back into to capture her mouth.

**A/N: This fic has been sitting on my desktop for about a week. Honestly, it was going to longer, but I kind of lost my mojo with it. It would have turned into smut anyways. Overall I'm losing my steam a little bit here. It's kind of a combination of the lack of nalu fandom for me to look at all the time, the seemingly never ending backlog of ideas I have for these two (seriously, I'm obsessed), and not being able to really talk in depth about them. It sucks how much I rely on conversation to help with my ideas. They end up all muddled otherwise. **

**Well, in anycase, this was supposed to be my halloween fic. But it's a bit late. Sorry about that. ; v ; I hope you guys will take a moment to review. I would love love love that so much!  
**


	5. Supporter

**Supporter**

Lisanna noticed that Lucy wasn't acting much like herself these past few weeks. She was still kind and cheerful but the take-over mage could feel that something was off. Maybe it was the occasional slump of her delicate shoulders or the strange morose glint that shown in her soft brown eyes as she turned them away from their friends. But what especially tipped Lisanna off were the several occasions in which she would excuse herself from the loud banter of their circle of friends to disappear into the library where, in most cases, she wouldn't reappear again for hours. And it was rare that someone would go check on her to see what she was up to or even if she was okay.

Today was yet another typical rowdy day in the guild and they were once again discussing the wild tale of Edolas. Lisanna's supposed death was still fresh in the minds of all the veteran members of Fairy tail and it boggled their minds that she had been transported to another world by some strange twist of fate and had then come back to them. At the moment Natsu was describing with expected gusto his arrival in this strange world and his discovery of their Edolas counterparts.

"And then when we saw Lisanna it was so freaking crazy! I was like WHOAAAA WHAT? It was seriously trippy to see her again." he guffawed loudly as he threw an arm around Lisanna's shoulders and pulled her close against his side, "I freaked her out though, I think, and she ran away at the time and edo-Lucy tried to beat me up. Dude, Lucy in Edolas was so scary, not to mention the weirdo dominatrix outfit she had on… wei-rd."

Lisanna giggled along with the group as she hugged Natsu around the waist with one arm before slowly directing her pale eyes towards the stellar mage who suddenly seemed very sullen. No one else really seemed to notice Lucy's strange patterns lately other than Mirajane and herself (probably because Lucy seemed to switch on the right bubbly attitude as soon as she was addressed or the attention shifted to her). The take-over mage continued to watch the blond quietly as everyone eagerly fished for more details describing the strange world that a hand full of them had experienced. It wasn't long before Lucy carefully pulled away from the group and inconspicuously disappeared into the library.

Curious and worried, Lisanna shrugged away from Natsu, "Hey, I'll be back in a bit." She offered a little girl to the fire mage as he laughed and nodded. Pushing out of the circle that had been created she moved into the library and quietly announced her presence.

Lucy jumped at the polite intrusion, not expecting anyone to check on her. "O-Oh… Lisanna." She said and pulled a weak smile across her lips. "What brings you down here?"

Smiling pleasantly the white-haired girl pulled up a chair across the table from Lucy, "Hm, I was just worried about you I guess. You've been acting a bit off kilter for a while now. Is everything okay?"

Watching Lisanna wearily, Lucy nibbled on her lip, "…N-no. Everything is fine."

"Not to sound pushy… but I don't think I believe you."

"…Well… it's not really important. I don't really want to waste your time with my silly worries."

Sighing, the white-haired girl frowned, "Lucy… we're friends. So whatever is on your mind, it's not insignificant. If you're feeling down about something, I care and I'm here to listen."

Lucy stared at the girl across from her for a moment, eyes wide. And in seconds fat tears began to fall from those big brown doe-eyes. Throwing her hands up to her face she tried to cover her pink, flustered features.

"O-oh no! I didn't mean to make you cry!" Lisanna made to stand up to comfort the stellar mage, but Lucy shook her head.

"N-No! It's more that… that I'm really touched by your words…" Lucy sobbed softly as she scrubbed at her eyes with her hands, "I-I'm such an awful person."

Hesitantly taking her seat again, the take-over mage looked confused, "Awful? Why would you think that?"

The blond sniffled for a few moments before wiping the last of her tears away. Her eyes were slightly puffy, her cheeks and nose were bright red. "I feel bad… all this time… I've been so _jealous _of you. Ever since you came back… I guess I've selfishly missed being in the center of our group."

Incredulous, Lisanna raised an eyebrow, "Jealous? Of me?" The idea seemed preposterous.

Lucy nodded her confirmation, "You get all of their attention… I feel so left out now, pushed aside. I mean… I understand that everyone is overjoyed to have you back because they thought you were _dead._" She sniffled again, bowing her head in shame, "I kinda feel like… I'm all overlooked now. Like maybe I was just a stand-in, a replacement."

"By no means are you a replacement, Lucy!" Lisanna scowled at the blond. "You're so important to all of them! Especially to Natsu and Happy!"

It was Lucy's turn to stare incredulously at the white-haired girl, "Sure… we're friends. We're partners, I guess… but I think that I'm more a source of amusement for those two than anything else."

Knowingly, Lisanna took in her words as well as the mixed emotions that flickered across Lucy's face. "Lucy, can I ask you something?"

Not looking up, the stellar made nodded.

"Do you like Natsu…? Like… love-like him?"

Lucy's entire body tensed. Several moments passed before a sharp shudder racked her body and the take-over mage could see the sudden inflammation of her face, ears and neck. It was incredibly endearing.

"W-w-w-w-what?" Lucy squeaked.

Lisanna simply smiled.

The stellar mage stared for a few moments before letting her eyes fall to the table. It seemed like she wasn't planning to answer, until finally Lucy nodded. "Y-yes… I like him," she admitted, her voice cracked.

Pleased with the confession, Lisanna grinned, "I thought as much."

For some reason the blond still seemed flustered over her admittance to having romantic feeling for the hot-headed fire mage. "T-Though… I don't think… I don't think he'll ever really like me the same way. I mean… he seems to be really, very close with you…" The words tumbled ungracefully from her glossy pink lips.

"Well, we have known each other since we were just tiny little things. Though I'm pretty positive that he doesn't like me that way. And I'm not really interested in him like that either. He's way too much of a brother to me."

Lucy bit her lip apprehensively as she glanced up into Lisanna's amused blue eyes.

"You wanna know something interesting?"

"Yes?" Lucy said hesitantly

"In Edolas, the Lucy and Natsu there were together. Even before I had gotten there, they were a thing." A fond smirk curled over Lisanna's lips as she thought back to the couple.

Eyes bulging, Lucy had a hard time finding words, "W-WHAT?"

The take-over mage laughed, "Yeah, you didn't get see too much of them together when you were there, but it's pretty obvious when they're around each other. I think that being around them for those two years, I guess when I came back I assumed it would be the same… though I guess the two of you, here on Earthland, move quite a bit slower."

This information settled on Lucy's mind. Staring blankly at a book on the table, her face reddened even more, if that was even possible at this point. "I… the me in Edolas… and Natsu?" Everything was slowly dawning on her and Lisanna could see the hope glittering in her eyes.

Beaming at the blond, Lisanna stood up, "So, don't give up too soon, 'kay? Because I have a hunch Natsu might like you more than you think. I can tell, you're extra special to him."

Curiously watching the white-haired girl's face, Lucy let a smile of her own grace her lips. "Yeah…"

"Feeling better now?"

"I-I think so?"

"Then let's go back now. I'm sure they're missing us." Lisanna extended a hand to the stellar mage and they seamlessly fell back into line with their circle of friends. This time, Lisanna knew that Lucy's smiles were genuine, her words pure and light, as they should be.

**A/N: I've had this idea in my head for a while now. Though I don't think it came across quite the way I had hoped it would. When Lisanna came back to life, I honestly kind of hated her. But I thought about her for a while and I came to like her pretty okay. She seems really sweet I guess, and I thought it was cute that she mentioned knowing lucy (and juvia) in Edolas helped her adapt back to the Earthland fairy tail much quicker. So the idea of them becoming close as friends was a fun idea to me. Not to mention I love **_**love**_** the idea of Edo-Natsu and Edo-Lucy being a couple, so I wanted to play with that a little as well.**

**I also want to say that you so much for all you guys that have reviews and faved/added to alert this collection! It makes me so happy and definitely makes me want to keep writing! So I hope you will continue to leave reviews after you read!**


	6. Relationships

**Relationships**

Warm summer light filtered greenly through the thick layer of foliage above them. The day had been relaxing after a grueling mission, and the cozy pair had decided to spend the day away from the guild to fish and lounge. Lucy was sprawled back in the grass, her arms thrown back above her head as she hummed and twirled a strand of her sunny blond hair between thin fingers. Flecks of golden sunlight danced on her stomach as the wind shifted the leaves playfully. The sound of her feet kicking at the surface of the water lulled Natsu into an unusually calmed state as he sat cross-legged at the edge of the riverbank.

The two of them hadn't spoken for awhile now, but comfortable silence was a common occurrence between them and it felt good to simply bask in the presence of one another. It was always like that: they didn't have to try to be with each other. Everything between them was natural and unforced. Lucy loved that she could be nothing but herself with the pink-haired dragon slayer. All of the good in her and all of the bad, he accepted it. Or rather, he embraced it. And for Natsu, he found a contentment in Lucy he couldn't find in others. Just being around her and feeling the warmth of her skin near his, the radiance of her smile, it was enough to settle all of his worries, all of his sadness. Even now that Lisanna was back with them, alive and kicking, Natsu liked to spend a lot of time with Lucy. Just the two of them.

Slowly sitting up, Lucy tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she tilted her head back to feel the breeze against her face and neck. "Ahh," she sighed and stood with a languid elegance that mesmerized Natsu for a moment, "It's so hot out today." But she smiled as she spoke, little complaint in her tone. Without shame or hesitation, she tugged off her cropped t-shirt and discarded her shorts to reveal a flattering light blue bikini that was appropriately decorated with tiny stars.

"Hey," Natsu warned, narrowing his eyes as he shifted away from her, "Don't get in the water, you'll scare the fish away."

Lucy just grinned at him.

"I'm serio-"

But it was too late. With a whooping yell, the blond stellar mage leaped forward into the river. The splash resounded throughout the quiet forest and then dissolved into girlish giggles as Lucy made a scene of disrupting Natsu's fishing.

"DAMMIT, LUCY! YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!"

And with that, a raging dragon slayer was jumping into the water, clothes flying everywhere as he wrestled Lucy down with a playful vengeance. Flailing her arms, the blond splashed Natsu only to receive a wave rushing back at her. She gasped, another fit of giggles bubbling up from her mouth as she shielded her face with her arm. "Hey! I'll have you know that I am a champion water…splasher! I'll kick your ass any day of the week!" Snorting, something she would have held back in the company of so many others, Lucy pushed and slapped water at him relentlessly.

"What? No way! I am the champion of everything!" Natsu shouted as he bombarded the girl with numerous aqua attacks.

Like children, Lucy and Natsu played in the water, shouting and laughing until they were holding there sides and gasping for air. Finally wading to the grass, Lucy sat down, hair dripping as she watched the dragon slayer with dancing eyes. The look was returned as Natsu pulled himself onto the soft patch of feathery grass himself. In her smile he saw the summer days reflected like fire, and a strange warmth spread in his stomach.

"Hey, Luce," his voice was surprisingly cautious as he reached out, running his calloused fingers through her hair without permission, drying the wet locks, "Can I ask you somethin'?"

Closing her eyes to the sensation, she cross her legs and leaned into his touch, "Mhm, ask away."

"I'm kind of curious… why… don't you have a boyfriend or something?"

Lucy cracked an eye open to take in the man before her, the man who usually thought nothing of relationships beyond friendship. "Eh? Why do you ask?"

Natsu shrugged as he finished his task, his fingers lingered against the silk strands, knuckles brushing her neck as he pulled away. "I dunno, I guess I just noticed that everyone has been pairing up lately. It's weird, even though it makes sense, I guess."

"Pairing up?" she repeated as she leaned back on her hands, "Like who?"

"Like…" he thought about it for a moment before he started the list, "Happy and Charle for starters. Who the hell would have ever thought that?" Natsu frowned as he thought about how little he saw his furry best friend.

The blond simply chuckled, "Happy liked her since the moment her met her, though. In a way, I think it was to be expected."

"Man… I didn't see it coming at all," he pouted and Lucy laughed more loudly, "Anyways, and then there's Gray and Juvia, I guess. Alzack and Bisca, Levy and Gajeel, and then I think that Jellal and Erza are a thing… but it's hard to tell with them. Uhh, Elfman and Evergreen too… that's weird."

"After listing them all, I guess there are a lot of people getting together in the guild." The stellar mage looked thoughtful for a moment before she met Natsu's piercing hazel eyes, "But what does that have to do with me having a boyfriend or not?"

The dragon slayer shrugged again. "Mostly, I was thinking about how you could be doing cooler things with your time, I guess. Rather than spending it with me. You have most of the dudes in town lusting after you anyways. Seriously, you can have your pick of whoever you want, Luce. "

"I love spending time with you, that won't ever change. You're one of the most important people in my life. And besides, it doesn't matter if I have my pick if none of the choices meet my standards."

"What are your standards?" Natsu was suddenly amused by the idea of Lucy's standards. The image of a knight in shining armor came to mind, though a frown graced his mouth as he immediately followed up the image with the knight slaying the dragon.

She hummed in thought as she moved to pull her denim shorts back on over her bikini bottom. "Well," she started as she sat next to the fire mage once more, "I want a guy who's handsome, organized, and loves to read, and likes to cook. Someone who will take me on romantic dates. Obviously, he needs to be kind and gentle. Someone who will make me happy as well as..."

Natsu watched as she drifted off into an imaginary world filled with hot men with delicate feelings, or at least that's what he gathered. "Tough role to fill…" he grumbled as he slumped forward, irritation clear on his face.

"Oh, I'm sure it will be." Lucy grinned and leaned forward to lay her cheek against his warm back. "But you know what's great about it?"

"What?"

"We never fall in love with that imaginary perfection. The real person, full of flaws and things we never wanted, is so much better. That's the adventure of _real _true love."

Her breath was soft on his skin as Natsu tensed slightly at her words. Something in him jolted and he was heating up involuntarily as hope filled his mind. Breathing out and forcing himself to relax he didn't reply.

"And what about you?"

He turned his head a fraction, but only found himself staring at a crown of golden hair. "What about me?"

"What do you look for in girls?"

The question was so odd to him. He honestly never thought about that too much. Natsu was never very interested in women or relationships (of course, that came with a bit of an exception). The only things he wanted was to be stronger, make his friends happy, and, of course, to find his father. Closing his eyes for a moment to contemplate, he wondered what he wanted in a woman. The first thing that flashed into his mind was a warm smile and soft brown eyes. But then the answer came quickly and he sighed.

"Someone who won't leave…" he whispered before repeating himself slowly and deliberately for Lucy to hear, "I want someone who won't ever leave my side."

Lucy shifted so she could see his face. Worry crossed her soft features for a moment before longing flickered in her eyes. When he opened his eyes they watched each other for some time, both searching for hints and clues, something they could grab onto.

Finally, she smiled. It was a different smile than the ones she sported early. This one glimmered with secret thoughts he could just barely touch. "You won't have to look to far then," she said quietly.

Suddenly timid, the blond dropped her eyes down to the grass that swayed and glittered as the wind tickled each blade. Natsu felt his heart swell with a feeling he couldn't describe. Nor could he help himself when he leaned in to capture her mouth in the tiniest, clumsiest of kisses.

**A/N: Sorry for taking awhile to get this out. I tend to have dry spells in between these things. I blame it on the lack of Lucy/Natsu fandom! I want to see more fics for them. It probably doesn't help that I spend my time coming up with elaborate plot ideas for multi-chapter fics for these two. Seriously, that's almost all I do in my free time. I think I have four or five multi-chapter fics going in my brain. Though I'm not sure if I will ever be able to put any of them down on paper because I tend to lose steam with multi-chapter/plot driven things very very quickly. Well in any case, I had fun writing this one in the middle of the night.**

**Thank you so much, persefonae for reading this over and fixing all of those glaring errors!**

**And thank you so much to all of you who have reviewed these stories so far! Seriously, that make me so happy and they definitely fuel my drive to keep these babies coming. Even the tiniest comments make me jump for joy, so I really hope you guys will keep reviewing!**


	7. Pillow Talk

**Pillow Talk**

The sheets were thrown from the bed and clothes were strewn about the usually tidy room as they curled into one another, smiling like fools. Natsu hummed his pleasure as Lucy idly stroked the vulnerable skin at the back of his neck. He didn't like when anyone touched his scar, but Lucy was an exception.

"I missed you." Lucy said with a quirk of her lips. He liked the way she looked with the late afternoon sun on her skin and in her hair. Everything about her was golden and glowing, like she was made of light and fire.

"Missed you too," he drawled back and trailed noisy wet kisses along her cheek, neck and shoulder.

Lucy sighed and traced paths over the details of his well toned muscles. She quietly took in the beauty of his battle marred skin, the rippling muscles that flexed as he rolled onto his stomach. "Did you find any tip offs about your father?" She asked softly, bringing her warm brown eyes up to meet his.

"Nope. It was another dead end," Natsu clenched his jaw as he spoke and nestled his face into the pillow. "Sometimes it feels like I'm on a wild goose chase. I've been after him for so long… It feels hopeless."

The light shifted and drew deep shadows across the room, the daylight fading and night was tiptoeing along the horizon. Lucy pressed against her pink haired lover and nuzzled her face against his neck, breathing gently as her hands slid across his broad back to draw soothing circles over the suddenly taut skin. Natsu knew she worried about him and his constant search for his dragon-father. He hated worrying her, but he knew in his heart he would never be completely at ease until he found the great beast that gave him love and power and everything that he was thankful for up to this day.

"We'll find him eventually," Lucy said quietly after a long moment, "No matter how long it takes, we'll keep looking. I'll be with you."

The stellar mage's words settled on him in the sweetest of ways. In such simple terms he could feel that she wanted this for him as much as he wanted it for himself. For years Natsu's search had been his own personal mission, no one interfered or actively aided him in this pursuit. Before, only Happy had accompanied him on his fruitless ventures. Now that Happy was preoccupied his new and growing family, Lucy had become a constant companion on his various trips to find clues about the dragons whereabouts. Somehow she had become so invested in the search that it touched his heart in a way that none of his fellow guild members never have. Whenever he thought about it, his relationship with Lucy and the lengths she would possibly go just for him, Natsu couldn't help me feel that she was everything he needed and more.

Bringing his arms around her, the dragon slayer crushed Lucy's body hard against his own and brought her mouth to his in a hungry yet loving kiss. The stellar mage mewled breathlessly against his mouth as she returned the gesture, easily matching his fervency.

"Luce…" he trailed his warm fingers over her face, searching her beautiful gold flecked eyes.

"Hm?" she raised her hand to touch his, fascinated by the heat that he emitted.

Natsu pressed his forehead against hers and sighed, "When did I start needing you so much?" And he knew the answer. The day she left with only an ambiguous note that she was leaving for home, he felt panic boiling over in his body. The world as he knew it seemed bleak and meaningless without a smiling Lucy to come back to at the end of the day. By that point he couldn't possibly imagine a life where he couldn't sneak into her apartment at any given opportunity, he couldn't imagine going on a mission without her at his side or at least at home, in magnolia, safe and happy. Natsu remembered the sharp contraction in his chest when he thought she'd left him and he didn't want to feel that again. He had felt it once when Igneel had left him, and again when he was told Lisanna was dead. Never again did he want to feel that sense of loss and abandonment.

Lips brushed against the tip of his nose, breaking him out of his reverie. Once again he was gazing into those bright brown eyes that glittered in the last seconds of the daylight.

"I'm never gonna let you go," he whispered.

"That better be a promise."

**A/N: This took way too long to write. Mostly I've been avoiding the massive quantities of work I need to do for the end of the semester. I need to finish up my final portfolios and my stupid developmental math course. Bleh. And when I avoid work I end up doing nothing at all. I've totally been trying to finish this for the past two weeks. It's terrible. I wanted to get something out sooner but it just wouldn't happen ; _ ; **

**Anyways, this is a request from a friend on LJ! My prompt was pillow talk (if you didn't figure it out from the title XD). I don't think I pulled off the 'pillow talk' very well though :( I think I might attempt this prompt again later. And just a little heads up, after the semester is over and done with I plan to start a short multichaptered fic for Natsu and Lucy! (I love them too much hahaah). It'll be four or five chapters long : I'm excited to write it!**

**I hope you guys will take a second to review after you read ; v ; that would be much much much much much appreciated. All of you guys who have so far make me smile and it is always the best thing to see pop up in my email~ (BTW! feel free to leave requests/prompt ideas! I would love that since I'm running out of ideas :)**


	8. Picking the Path I

**Picking the Path**

Finding Igneel was always a priority in Natsu's life. It was the one thing that he wanted, needed more than anything. After years of training and honing his fire magic, he was finally sure he could take on the task of setting out to find his father. It was a now or never; he had waited long enough.

Of course, that's what he kept telling himself every time he saw his friends, the people he had barely been apart from all these years. Leaving them would be the hardest part. When he had told them all with his usual high spirits that he was finally taking leave to go on his journey, he felt his heart fall a little as all of their smiles faltered. He was sure his own slipped a fraction. But then there were shouts and jeers and rowdy grins abound. They all knew that this day would come, they were encouragement warmed his heart.

Caught up in the excitement of the group, Natsu suddenly realized that there was one smile missing. The most important smile.

Behind the crowd of his big feisty family, Natsu finally saw Lucy. When their eyes met he felt the dread from earlier hit him a thousand fold and he could feel his temperature drop. The brown eyes that were usually lit up with warmth and mirth were glassy with distress and anger, but there was something else there. Abandonment.

Turning back to his friends ,he hastily to break away. Above everything else, he needed to set things straight with her. Without Lucy's approval, he knew he could never truly embark on that journey and feel at ease. He wouldn't be able to give it everything he had. Finally able to pull away from the group, he looked up to find that the stellar mage was no where in sight. The only indication she had been there was the faint floral musk that was distinctly _Lucy_.

A strange panic filled him as he rushed out onto the street. Natsu ran to her apartment without even considering that she might have possibly gone somewhere else. It didn't take him long to arrive, but he was sure she was there. The lights were on. Only slightly winded from the exertion he agilely jumped from windowsill to window sill, using the wall of the other building to help his momentum before he landed on Lucy's.

"Luce…" he said as he silently climbed through her window, "I… I should've told you sooner. Before everyone else."

She sat at the edge of the bed faced away from him, shoulders hunched. "I don't care. J-Just leave me alone…" she managed to squeak out.

"A-are you crying?"

"No!" she said, but a sniffle immediately followed the statement, easily disproving her claim.

Natsu hated to see her cry, it was the one thing in the world he just couldn't handle. Jumping onto the bed, he wrapped his arms around her in a right hugs. "Look, Luce," he whispered as he nuzzled the delicate skin of her neck, "You know I can't deal with you hurting-"

"Then don't do things that make me hurt!" Her words were cut straight through him, "Don't leave me…"

"I have to Lucy. You know that I have to. But I'll come back for you." He drew away and turned her toward him. Tears were smeared over her flushed face where she had tried to wipe them away only to shed more. Natsu sighed and cradled her jaw in his large hands. "Please don't cry, Luce. Please?"

The stellar mage sniffled, eyes averted. "I knew this day would come eventually. I knew you would leave... But now that it's here I can barely stomach the thought of it. What am I going to do without my best friend? My partner?"

"You still have Happy, and Erza. Even that dumbass, Gray."

"We're still not that same without you. It's called team _Natsu _for a reason..."

He cringed at the way her voice filled with tears before she dissolved into soft hiccuping sobs. How could he ever leave like this?

For some time the two of them sat on Lucy's bed, Natsu held her in his arms as she cried. Her small body shook against his and she emptied herself of all the emotion. No matter how much he hated seeing the stellar spirit mage upset, hated to see her cry, he knew that he could do nothing better than stay by her side.

After a while she pulled away and his arms fell loosely around her waist. "Okay, no more crying." Lucy laughed weakly and finally looked him in the eyes. "I'll see you off with a smile. I promise that I can do at least that."

Determination shone in her eyes and his heart stuttered in response. Right then, he didn't want to do anything other than hold her there forever and protect her from all the pain. There are countless things he wanted to tell her before he left, but he knew it wasn't the right time. After years of partnership they were both aware of the palpable emotions between them, yet they vocalized them, never let them mess with the perfect unity of their partnership. Sometimes he couldn't stand it, wanting to yell out to the world that Lucy of Fairy Tail was _his _stellar mage and grab her and kiss her hard. But Natsu knew better than that, of all the things he was cautious about, it was that thin line between romance and friendship. He couldn't cross that just yet. He couldn't get past the fear of everything changing and slowly spoiling in ways that they could never reverse.

Chuckling, he rubbed her cheeks with his thumbs and wiped her tears away, well, more like evaporate them. "Okay."

After a few moments, Lucy found herself curling into the dragon slayers lap, her face pressed gingerly against his chest. His heart beat steadily and her expression had become much more relaxed. Her peace was his peace.

"I wish I could always be with you..." she said against the warm skin of his chest, tickling him.

"And I wish I could take you with me."

" Why can't you?"

Natsu huffed and moved a hand up to run it through her thick sunshine hair, "I want to, Luce. I really do. But…. I can't risk it."

"I can look after myself!" she lifted her head to glare at him

"I know you can," he watched her for a moment as her featured softened again. Her eyes spoke volumes of the feelings she felt, the need she had for him. "Look, Luce, this isn't going to be like any mission we've been on before. And I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you. I mean, Gildartz has a run in with the wrong dragon and he lost limbs and organs. I just… I don't want to put you in a bad place, you know?"

Lucy searched his face for a long moment before she laid her cheek against his shoulder, "And what makes you think that I'm okay with you putting yourself in those same dangerous positions?"

"I'll be okay."

The blond growled and finally pulled away from the dragon slayer to slide of the bed and stretch her arms into the air, popping her back. His eyes followed her every moment. Everything about her was elegant and dazzling. Selfishly, he wanted all of that to himself.

"Natsu?" Lucy said hesitantly as she plopped back down onto the downy comforter. "Will you promise me something?"

"Yeah."

"Promise that you'll come back home, whole and safe, with that stupid smile on your face. I'll kill you if you get killed out there." A smirked tugged at her lips, though her eyes were serious.

After a moment a grin stretched across his face, "That's a promise I can definitely keep." Natsu was one hundred percent confident in his answer. He would always find his way back to his Lucy.

**Two Years Later**

The night air was was gentlest breath on his skin. It was probably below freezing outside, but he couldn't tell. Sitting outside his tent, fire crackling lazily, Natsu sighed as he looked down at the magazine he'd picked up from some town he had been passing through. The model on the cover smiled mischievously up at him, her arms extended up, past the edge of the paper. Large eyes glittered with a mirth he could know nothing about, the mystery of this gorgeous woman on the glossy cover had his insides clenched tight.

"Lucy…" he said quietly to himself. "I feel like I barely know you now."

The thought hurt him more than it should have. Something about knowing so little about her life, so little about the woman she's become tore him up. Since he had left Magnolia in search of Igneel, Lucy had become a hot commodity in the world of mages. She was now quite a famous mage and the face of fairy tail, on top of that she was no rated as one of the top ten sexiest female mages in Fiore (not that he really cared much for that type of thing). Recently he had learned she had even published a small collection of short stories. The Lucy he had once known seemed far away in many ways. Though he knew that Lucy's, as well as all of his other friends lives. would go on even if he weren't there.

Natsu stared wistfully down at the image of the blond girl that he was so fond of. He wanted to see her and the rest of his family at Fairy Tail. Traveling alone was much harder than he had anticipated; the homesickness seemed to worsen with each passing day. Happy had been his traveling partner on his long trips, always keeping him company. Though this time he new the danger would be too much for his best friend, especially now that the cat was settled with Charle and a baby on the way (it was still hard for Natsu to get his head around Happy being a parent).

Brushing the tip of his finger over the printed image of Lucy's lips, Natsu couldn't help but miss her warmth and her smiles. She had been a truly great companion. When they went on missions he some of his favorite times were when they slept side by side in the great outdoors, her small, soft body curled into his for warmth. The feel of her skin was a magical electricity pulsing through him.

Images of his blond counterpart flew through his mind as he thumbed through his carefully stored memories of their times together before he had left. He really missed Lucy and Fairy Tail. The dark nights and long roads only seemed to stretch on and on as he continued his travels in search of Igneel.

"Igneel…" he said with a puff of agitated black smoke wafting from his throat. "Lucy." Her name on his tongue sent small shivers through his limbs and it was obviously not at all related to the chilly weather.

"I can't decide who I want more…"

**TBC**

**A/N:** Man, it's been awhile hasn't it guys? Sorry for not updating in awhile, I've been in a terrible, terrible rut. This has been sitting in my files for a month or so and I'm still a little hazy as to what's going to happen here. I have some definite points I know I need to hit and little tid bits of scenes in my head, but I just need to connect them all. Bah. I will try hard in the next coming weeks to get the second part for this up. And then I have another fic I'm working on that is about half way done.

Dude, all you Natsu/Lucy fans need to get to writing! A lot of my favorite stories haven't been undated in ages and it's totally just killing me. KILLING ME, YOU HEAR!

I might make some sort of little contest of sorts for valentines to maybe spark some writing interest. What do you guys think?


	9. Party for Five

_disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail_

**Party for Five**

Standing just outside of Fairy Tail, team natsu stood in a semi circle, each of them with a face full of disappointment.

"I do not feel as motivated as I usually do without you to accompany us." Erza Scarlet frowned deeply as she studied the dejected expression of her blond team mate. "there is nothing we can do about this though, Lucy. You will only further injure yourself."

"...I know that I would not be very helpful... But it'll be lonely without you guys." Lucy sighed as she shifted slightly to lean on her crutches. "Stupid broken leg..."

Even Grey was looking unhappy with the circumstances. "It'll definitely suck without you, Lucy. Being stuck with just these two. "

"What's that supposed to mean, Ice Prick," Natsu bare his teeth in warning.

"It means, fire idiot, that you're stupid. "

The exchange was immediately shut down by both Erza and Lucy. Their icy glares were perfectly in sync, terrified shudders visibly course over natsu and grays limbs. After a moment of settling down Gray offered a small smile to the stellar Mage.

"well, look on the bright side, Lucy. You can work on your novel and have some of that elusive privacy you're always on about and still pay your rent."

"huh?"

Erza crossed her arms and nodded, "I hope you didn't think us so cold as to leave you in a tight position. As a member of team natsu, as well as having sustained an injury, your part of the prize is included. It will be enough for rent as well as groceries and other necessities. We know that you must live some way or another."

"Guy... I can't let you do that..." Lucy felt tears prick her eyes at the thoughtfulness of her friends.

Gray gave the blond a firm pat on her shoulder, "Don't think too much about it. I mean... Let's be honest here, when we're not at the guild we're usually hanging out at your place. So it would be bad for us all if you got kicked out."

With a small sigh, Lucy couldn't help the tug of a smile at her lips. "I guess you're right. But I'm going to have to make it up to guys some way or another."

"Don't worry about it Luce. " Natsu chimed in. "it's practically my fault for your broken leg anyways. I'm the one that uprooted that tree in the first place..." His face became apologetic as he trailed off.

"I understand your concerns, Natsu. But we need to leave now. It's almost time for the train to leave." Erza didn't wait for a response as she began to pull her overstuffed cart of belongings down the street.

Realizing the time, Gray lifted his bag and waved at Lucy, "Take it easy until we get back."

"I'll catch up with you guys in a second." Erza and Gray only nodded as they began to head towards the train station.

Looking up at the dragon slayer, Lucy smiled. "I'll see you in a week right?"

"Maybe even sooner! I'm going to kick that basilisks ass and be back before you know it." the dragon slayer grinned before he glanced around to see if there were any peeping pedestrians. Then without much reservation, Natsu leaned down to plant a kiss on Lucy's pink glossy mouth.

"Sorry... I couldn't help myself." he said softly against her lips.

Normally Lucy would prefer to avoid PDA's, but she figured since she wouldn't get to see him for a few days it would be fine. So, in light of this exception she leaned up and returned the gesture, even going as far as to lengthen it by wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer to her. When she parted her lips he didn't hesitate to let his tongue dip in and graze the line of her teeth. Natsu kissed her passionately, completely unrestrained and Lucy would not have fooled anyone if she said she didn't enjoy that side of him.

Hesitantly, Natsu pulled away from the stellar mage. "As much as I would love to stand here and make out with you, Luce, I gotta get going."

"Yeah." she smiled, but she was already feeling a bit lonely. "Good luck on your mission."

Natsu slung his bag over his shoulder and leaned in to place a final goodbye kiss on the blonde forehead before he turned to set out at a light jog towards the train station. Lucy watched him until he turned the corner, and even then she lingered a little longer, remembering the warm and spicy taste of Natsu's kiss.

**xxxx**

"Hello, Magnolia!" Natsu shouted as he and his team left the train station. It felt amazing to be off that stupid train and to be able to breath in the fresh pure scents of Magnolia town.

Gray rolled his eyes, "You're obnoxious, calm the hell down."

Normally that would have been an instant fight in Natsu's eyes but he was too excited to see Lucy, so excited that he was spitting fireballs into the air and juggling them as he pranced down the street. Erza and Gray only smirked at the dragon slayers enthusiasm. Once they reached the guild it was already early evening and the sun had set but a little bit of light was still caught on the horizon, painting the sky deep purples and pinks.

"Welcome back, Erza, Natsu, Gray." Mirajane smiled maternally as she greeted the team members. "Did your mission go well go well?"

Erza nodded, "Yes, even with these two trouble makers everything went very well. For once there was not too much extra damage to the surroundings."

"Mira, where is Lucy?" Natsu asked loudly after glancing around and not seeing her anywhere.

"Oh! She went home quite some time ago." the bar tender smiled pleasantly as she carefully cleaned the glass in her hand. Natsu's disappointed face only made her smile grow.

At that moment Lisanna stepped out from the back room carrying a crate of beer bottles that needed to be shelved. "Hey, Natsu! Did you guys just get back?"

"Yup." he was still frowning about the fact that Lucy hadn't stuck around a while longer. Of course he would go see her at her house later, but it's way nicer when she isn't complaining about him invading her privacy or about whatever other weirdo girl things she's into.

"Earlier today Lucy told me to tell you three to swing by her apartment later. She said it was important." Lisanna said to the three of them as she set down the crate and leaned on the bar, "She's been acting so serious since you guys left. I hope she's not upset about anything..."

Team Natsu frowned in unison, wondering if leaving Lucy on her own for a week perhaps had, in the end, made Lucy feel lonely and unwanted. Almost immediately the three of them said their goodbyes to the guild for the night and made their way to Lucy's apartment.

"You didn't have to tease them like that, Lisanna." Mirajane chuckled.

Her little sister only smiled mischievously, "But they're so fun to tease. Especially when it comes to Lucy, they all get so intense. I can't help it~"

The two sisters shared knowing smiles before they went back to their work.

**xxxx**

Near Lucy's house Natsu glanced up at the window of her apartment. "Its kind of dark... Did she go to sleep?" he wondered aloud. As they climbed the stairs, the smell of food hit him like a wall and he instantly began salivating in response. And it wasn't just any old plain-jane dinner, the smell was so fragrant and rich and luxurious, a complete feast. It smelled even better than the dinner Mirajane usually cooks.

The three of them has decided to be courteous and take the door rather than the window, though they weren't completely reformed so Natsu didn't even bother knocking before turning the knob to push the door open. He didn't have time to think about why she had the door unlocked because as soon as he walked (Erza and Gray pushing him out of the way to step in themselves) Natsu noticed why the room had looked so dark from the outside.

The room was lit by tiny floating baubles that hovered at various different height. Everything was drenched in a magical warmth.

"Oh, welcome back!" Lucy said from the general dining and kitchen area. It was darker in that area none of the little floating lights were there. But slowly one by one candles were being lit, revealing an extravagant spread of all sorts of meats and fancy side dishes on the table. In the center was a lavishly decorated cakes that was topped wit ha variety of colorful fruits and chocolate.

All three of the mages gawked at the display.

"What is the meaning of this, Lucy." Erza asked as she approached the blond with a quirk of an eyebrow clearly admiring the contents of the table. It looked like something straight out of a magazine. "Did you cook all of this?"

"Aye!" Happy interjected and he flew in from the kitchen with an arm full of plates which Lucy reached up to take from him. "And I helped too! Lucy even get me some really really delicious fish!"

"But why..." Gray approached the table, trying not to drool too much at how delicious everything looked (not to mention he was shirtless by now).

"It's a party!" Happy laughed as he fluttered around above them.

With a bashful look and a light flush to her cheeks, the stellar mage carefully started placing five plates on the table. "Well... I guess I just kind of wanted to show you all my appreciation. I really care about you guys, you're my best friends and without you I don't think I would feel even a millionth of the happiness I feel right now."

Erza gave the stellar mage a gentle smile a firm pat on the back before sliding into a chair, "I agree that you are one of my closet friends. I'm honored to be held in such esteem."

"Seriously, this is way over the top, Lucy. But you know what, it's pretty freaking awesome. Even though you're newer to fairy tail than most of us, it would never be the same without you now." Gray felt himself blushing at the sentimentality of his own words and rubbed his neck, "I guess what I'm trying to is that, and I speak for all of us I hope, that we appreciate you too."

Natsu had yet to move from where he was standing, touched and overwhelmed. He was almost at a loss of words.

Almost.

"IS THAT FIRE BEEF? YES!"

"And then the idiot can only see food. Talk about not reading the mood, flame brain." gray scoffed as he reached over to grab a fork.

Lucy only laughed and the rest of the evening went on rowdily amongst the five of them. The story of their recent mission was told with great extravagance, things in Lucy's house were burnt and frozen and broken, some thing even sliced (Lucy was horrified by all of this, of course). It wasn't until the wee hours of the morning that Erza and Gray and even happy decided to leave so they could catch a good nights rest in their own beds. Natsu was permitted to stay the night so long as he helped clean up the next day (and not break or set fire to anything else).

Plopping down onto the bed, the stellar Mage was still smiling and giggling, occasionally interrupted with a slow yawn. "Mmm, tonight was so nice and I had way too much fun," she sighed as she leaned back on her hands and closed her eyes.

A tired laugh was all Natsu managed before he collapsed onto the bed next to her. "Yeah, it was freakin' awesome."

After a moment, the dragon slayer angled his head slightly to peer up at Lucy who shifted herself onto the bed, to peer out the window, up at the cloudless night sky. With her good leg pulled up, chin resting on her knee, she smiled in such a gentle, unaware way that Natsu felt just the slightest heating of his cheeks. He definitely acknowledged the the girl was pretty but sometimes, just by chance, she would would blow him away with such radiant natural beauty.

"You're amazing, Luce," Natsu said after a long, warm silence.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Lucy turned her bright brown eyes on him with a sleepily curious expression.

Lifting himself on on elbow, he raised a hand to her cheek and brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear before letting his fingertips trickle down her neck, then her arm, to twine their fingers. "I guess… tonight… you really caught me by surprise I guess. The whole thing… was just so great?" He took his hand away to pinch the bridge of his nose, trying to come up with the right words. "What I mean to say, i think, is you've got such a big heart. And even though maybe I wish I could keep your heart all to myself, it makes me so happy that you can love so completely. I just think you're really amazing, Lucy."

The words suddenly embarrassed him and he couldn't bring himself to take his hand away from his face.

"Natsu…" Lucy dreamily searched his face for a long moment before she took his hand away from his face and cradled it against her heart. "I think the feeling is pretty mutual there." She tugged on his arm to signal she wanted him to lay next to her, and Natsu obliged all too willingly.

The dragon slayer watched as she yawned, those pretty eyes fluttering shut as exhaustion pulled her closer and closer to sleep. He shifted to accommodate her casted leg, before he nestled his face into her hair and breathed her in. There was nothing like ending a day with nothing but the warmth of Lucy.

**AN: oh wow, it's been ages hasn't it? But I promise I'm still writing, just very very slowly. I've had this idea in my head for a long time now and I started writing it one my phone, kind of picking at it every now and then, but this week I decided to try and finish it up and get it to you guys! So I hope you like it~ I also have two other fics in progress right now, so within maybe a week or two, I should have the second part to picking the path up! **

**I hope you'll review and tell me what you think!**


	10. Picking the Path II

"Ah, so you're that Natsu from Fairy Tail. It all makes sense now!" The older man guffawed loudly as he finished off the rest of his beer. "You were always in the papers because of your shenanigans. It was almost sad that you hadn't come up much for awhile."

Natsu laughed along with the man, tipping back his own glass of fire whiskey. "Ah yeah! I've been on my best behavior since I set out to look for my dad. But there's always something about Fairy Tail in the papers!" For a few days, Natsu had been lodging with a man named Finn and his daughter Milley. The small family were kind and boisterous and the loud banter and constant chatter put him at ease. It was the first large town he'd come across in awhile, so he took advantage of the amenities and decided to pick up some temporary work with the blacksmith. He needed the money and supplies, and Finn was a great employer, as far as Natsu was concerned.

Finn grinned widely, wrinkles collecting at the corners of his eyes, "Well, that's true. It's great for you that you can still know what's going on with them even though you're away."

"Natsu, Natsu!" across from the small table, Natsu smiled at the young girl who had hair just as golden as sunlight. It made him nostalgic.

"What's up, Milley?" His voice turned a shade softer as he set down his glass.

Beaming up at the young fire mage with clear blue eyes, she was nearly bouncing in her seat. "So, are you friends with Lucy Heartphilia?" The question made his heart stutter but he kept his cool. "She's my _favorite _Fairy Tail mage! I want to grow up to be just like her!"

"Haha! Is that so? She's a lot more goofy and weird than the papers make her out to be though."

Milley gasped, "So you _are _friends with her?"

"Sure. She's my best friend." Pride slipped into his voice as he recalled Lucy and all of her warm features. "She's my partner."

"Seriously?" the girls eyes were practically glittering. "Can… can I get her autograph sometime?"

Leaning back in his chair, Natsu smirked, "Yeah sure. Once I go back to Magnolia I'm sure Luce would love to go on a trip. She can give you one in person."

Staring up at him with eyes wide as the plates they'd been eating on, Milley's mouth dropped open. "You're the best, Natsu!" she squealed in delight. "Oh, yeah, I was wondering… in an interview in The Sorcerer this week, Lucy said something about waiting for her partner. Was she talking about you?"

"Um…?" He titled his head to the side.

"Hey now, Milley," her father interrupted, "Don't go bombarding the guy with a bunch of questions. You're gonna make him uncomfortable."

"Haha, it's okay Finn," the dragon slayer waved a hand dismissively, "I don't mind the questions. I'm honestly just so freakin' happy to have people to talk to. Traveling alone gets pretty lonesome without a companion."

The older man gave Natsu an empathetic look. "I can understand that. Back when I was younger I used to travel quite a bit…"

"No one wants to hear about your dumb old stories, Dad." Milley rolled her eyes.

Natsu just laughed.

"Well, it's time for bed. Gotta get up early to open the shop." Finn pushed away from the table and started collecting the dishes.

Milley quickly got out of her chair and began to help her father. Despite the fact that Milley was a young, sassy teenager, Natsu found her to be very hard working and supportive of her father. When she wasn't at school she seemed to always be at the shop, helping out where she can. Resting his elbow on the table to lean on his palm, the dragon slayer sighed. He couldn't help but miss his own family, his guild. He missed the fights and the uproar. That was the most relaxing place in the world… aside from Lucy's apartment.

"Hey, Milley," Natsu called out as he began to get up himself, "Would you mind if I borrowed you magazine? This weeks Sorcerer. "

"Sure!" She glanced at him over her shoulder. "My hands are wet, but it's on the coffee table in the living room."

"Cool," he said, pushing the chair into it's place under the table. "I'm heading to bed then. 'Night you two."

Finn and Milley bid him a good nights sleep and went back to the dishes. The sound of their voices faded as he went and picked up the magazine from the living room.

It was almost surprising that Lucy wasn't on the cover this time. Instead it was a spread of Lisanna, Elfman, and Mirajane. A small grin quirked his lips. They were the same happy family as before and it was nice that they'd decided to team up again. Though he was pretty sure that Mirajane rarely left the bar anyways. She was still as sweet as always, but having Lisanna back seemed to give her back a bit of her old spark. Making his way up the stairs, he flipped through the pages and caught snippets about Blue Pegasus and some random magical items he could care less about. By the time he reached his room, which was small but comfortable, he had come to the page that had the Fairy Tail emblem printed largely above a block of text. Natsu flopped down on the cushiony bed and read the intro before turning the page. The next two pages were mainly a big photo of the entire guild standing together.

At the front, directly in the middle, was Master Makarov with a huge grin on his face. He seemed as lively as ever. On either side of him were Gray and Erza. Erza had on her trademark heart cruz armor and a small, disciplined smile. She held her head high as always. Gray still looked like an asshole as far as he was concerned, but it was nice to see that the lazy smirk hadn't changed. But aside from them, it was hard for Natsu to really concentrate on any of his other guild mates, his eyes found Lucy. She had on the biggest smile she could possibly muster. It wasn't one of those carefully composed photos that he had seen before, this was the real Lucy bursting at the seems with untamed joy. She was holding Happy, who's grin matched the stellar mage's. The two seemed to have remained rather close since his departure. He missed his team more than anything in the world.

After a few minutes of wistful staring, he turned the page and carefully read the various interviews and comments about Fairy Tail. Most of it was nothing new, and but then he came to Lucy's brief interview.

interviewer: So, Lucy, I hear you haven't taken the s-class exams yet. It's obvious you are so capable, so why the wait?

Lucy: [_she chuckles cutely while sipping on her tea]_ Well, it's not that I don't want to be an S-class mage or anything like that. But it's set up in a way where you need a partner to complete the test, and while I love all of my guild mates, my partner is away for the moment.

interviewer: Your partner?

Lucy: Yep. When I become an S-class mage, I want him to be there at my side. I couldn't choose anyone else to take that journey with me. I guess it's kind of silly of me [_she plays with the assortment of celestial keys around her neck nervously_] but I guess he's always been there for me at the most important times of my life and career as a mage… so I want to take that step with him as well.

interviewer: That seems to be a rather romantic way of viewing it…. is there perhaps a steamy story behind this?

Lucy: [_laughs nervously_] Not really… I mean, I would say that we're pretty cozy and closer than most friends, but there really isn't anything ...romantic there.

After this point, Natsu couldn't really concentrate much on the rest of the interviews. Thoughts of Lucy and Magnolia filled his mind. it seemed like while the stellar mage had taken leaps and bounds without him, she was holding back so much due to his absence. _He _was her partner, and that place in her life was reserved for only one (well, Happy was there too). Somehow, knowing that she was there, waiting for him still made his heart ache for home like never before. Sighing heavily, Natsu tossed the magazine onto the bed as he rolled onto his stomach.

That night the dragon slayer couldn't seem to fall asleep no matter how much he tried. His heart never seemed to stop racing.

xxx

The week seemed to pass by slowly for Natsu, but working in the smithy was calming since he was able to use all the fire and raw force he wanted. It was the afternoon of his last stay with the small family and Natsu was helping to clean up at the end of the day when he stopped for a second and smiled at the older man, "You know, this was a really cool job. I'm gonna miss you guys."

"Yeah, it's gonna be lonely without you here to liven things up with all your crazy antics." Finn chuckled as he finished putting away all of his materials.

On the other hand, Milley sulked as she came to a stop in a her sweeping, "You'll come visit us again, right, Natsu?

"Sure, Milley. I promised I would bring Lucy with me next time." His big bright grin seemed to leave the younger girl feeling more secure about his answer and smiled back. "I bet Luce will love this place. She would probably spaz over all the picturesque landscapes here, not to mention the shopping."

"Okay then! It's a promise. I'll be waiting!" Milley felt like Natsu's face breaking smiles were contagious.

"Oh, I meant to ask where you're headed to next, Natsu," Finn piped in.

Without a break in his large smile, Natsu answered with a pride, "Fairy Tail."

Leaving Finn and Milley was a quick but touching affair the next morning. Natsu had slept fitfully and dreamed of blond hair and brown eyes. He was feeling giddy about his decision to head back home to Magnolia. He was feeling a strange combination of fear, anxiety and almost overwhelming excitement to see Lucy. His Lucy…. or at least that's what he was hoping she would be once he got back. Even on the train (the thought of transportation made him nauseous) it would take him two full days to make it back to Magnolia Town. On foot it would take him over a week, and that's if he took very limited breaks. So, he would take the train, motion sickness be damned. He just couldn't wait any longer, by now he'd kept Lucy, and the rest of him family waiting long enough. And in his heart, he knew that he couldn't wait to be enveloped in the warmth of his family after almost three years of traveling alone.

It was time for Natsu to return home.

xxx

Even from outside the thick wooden doors the ruckus was louder than ever. Clearly that part of Fairy Tail hadn't changed and it made the smile on Natsu's face even larger, if that was even physically possible. He took just a quick second to take in the somewhat muted noise and the smell of food and alcohol and the familiar scents of his friends before not so gently kicking the door open, effectively blowing huge chucks of wood across the great room. "I'M HOME!" He yelled in triumph with a fist pump into the air.

There was a split second of complete and total silence before it was all ruined with a flying fist in the direction of Natsu's face.

"Flame brain! What took ya so long!" Gray shouted as the dragon slayer dodged just in time and brought his knee up to try and nail Gray in the stomach. The ice mage jumped back in a swift, calculated movement and gave the fire user a relaxed smirk. He's just gotten home and he already has to deal with this loser (though deep down maybe he secretly missed the fighting, Gray was a good sparing partner if nothing else). "I've gotten quite a bit stronger now, I bet I could kick your ass."

"Gray-sama, you clothes," Juvia stated quietly as moved to pick up the discarded underwear.

"Psh, yeah right. I could probably destroy you with a flick of my wrist now. Besides, I could never be defeated by a _stripper._"

Rather than continuing the match, Natsu found himself being pounced on by a very pleased Lisanna. "Natsu! You came back! It's practically been forever!" He could feel her smile into his neck and he allowed his arms to encase her tightly for a moment before pulling her back to take a good look at her. Same bright eyes, bright smile, but her hair was a little longer now and reached her bare shoulders.

"Hey, Lisanna," Natsu found himself beaming down at her as he tenderly ruffled her hair. "It has been a really long time I guess…"

A few moments later he found himself being hugged by Wendy, who was taller and prettier than she was when he had last seen her. One after the other it seemed like all of his guild mated came up to him to tell him what was new with them and how they had missed him. Towards the end of the reunion a screaming Happy had attached himself to the dragon slayers face, huge tears wetting his soft blue fur.

"Natsu! I thought you weren't going to come back, I'm so h-happy!" The eksheed was practically wailing.

With a loud, Natsu pulled the cat from his face, "Of course I would come back. I told you I would, didn't I?"

"Yeah… I guess so, but what if you'd found Igneel and decided you didn't need us anymore."

"You know that no matter what, Igneel or no, I'll always come back home." A soft smile crossed the dragon slayers face as he looked around him, the warmth of Fairy Tail seemed to completely rejuvenate him. There was nothing like being home. But suddenly it dawned on him, "Where's Lucy?"

Happy perked up at the mention of the stellar mage's name, "Lucy was here this morning! But she said she was tired and went home."

"Oh, yeah," Lisanna piped after hearing about Lucy, "It seems that she hasn't been feeling well lately, so she's been spending a lot of time at home trying to recoup I guess. She hardly gets to rest, what with all the photo-shoots and jobs she's been going on. She's totally overworking herself."

Natsu frowned at this, "Oh…. well, I think I'm should probably go pop by and see what she's up to."

"Good idea," Happy said with a little smile, "Lucy has probably been the one that missed you the most all this time. I bet she'll be super happy to see you."

It didn't take much else to spur him into motion then. Offering a few boisterous parting words, Natsu burst from the guild into the young night and felt that strange stressful elation he felt on the train. The excitement that was coursing in him didn't let him take a leisurely pace to Lucy's place, he still new the route by heart and he raced as fast as he could push his body to get to her apartment. With her apartment coming into view, he could already smell traces of her, leading him right to her door step.

For a split second he contemplated taking the door, but a devilish grin curled on his mouth and he easily climbed his way up to her windowsill.

"Great, the window's open…" he whispered to himself as he peeked in. Jumping onto her bed and sat on the edge. He quickly gathered that she was in the bathroom since he could hear the faint noises of movement coming from that direction. Leaning back on his arms he smiled to himself as he breathed in her scent- there really was no scent like Lucy's. It just smelled like… home to him.

"GYAH!" was was ended up breaking his train of thought.

Looking up passively, Natsu raised a hand and grinned, "Hey, Luce."

"N-NATSU?" Lucy stood in the door way in nothing by a towel, mouth opened in shock. "A-Are you serious? Is it really you?"

"Yep. I'm here aren't I? Do you fantasize about me being here all th-" He was cut short by the blond pouncing on him with a squeal of joy. "Good gods, Luce! You tryin' to flatten me or something?"

The girl clung to him tightly and nuzzled her face into his neck. Gosh… he didn't quite expect such a… powerful welcome. He couldn't help but feel his body temperature surge. When she didn't say anything just yet, Natsu hesitantly smoothed her still wet hair. Being able to touch her felt surreal, seeing as how he'd been dreaming of it night after night; the feel of her warm creamy skin under the heat of his calloused fingers.

"Natsu…" he heard her voice, lively and happy…. and strangely watery, call out to him, "It's good to have you back… not than you know."

He chuckled and allowed himself to wrap his arms around her waist as he pulled them into a sitting position, Lucy's legs wrapped around his waist. "Yeah.. I'm glad to be back too. It was lonely without you."

The blond beamed as she pulled back, her brown eyes glittered. "Really?" She was trying to be nonchalant and failing miserably. Her excitement to see him only kept lifting his mood. Shifting his hands to sit on her hips, Natsu frowned.

"You seem…. a lot… thinner, Luce?" He leaned back a bit to get a real good look at her. Sure, her breasts were still full and bouncy as ever. But her body seemed to be more frail and delicate than he remembered it to be. His eyes flickered worriedly up to her face. She was definitely as beautiful as she looked on all those covers, but it wasn't quite the same (aside from obvious reasons. She would always be prettier in person). Her face showed obvious signs of exhaustion despite the rosy life her shower had breathed into her skin.

"Oh," Lucy pulled away reluctantly, "I guess you're right. I've been so busy I haven't really been keeping track of myself." She chuckled awkwardly before realizing completely that she was nearly in the nude and like the girl he'd always known, she flushed a bright red and jumped off him in a blur of blond and white towel. "Whoa, that was a little bit uh….. indecent." She ran her fingers through her still damp hair and honestly, Natsu was kind of curious why she wasn't hurling everything in her room at him. But hey, he wasn't really complaining about that. "I'm gonna go put on some clothes," the blonde looked at him with a tiny smile dancing over her lips. "Promise me you won't go anywhere?"

"I promise."

xxx

After Lucy went to go get changed and do whatever Lucy did alone in the bathroom, Natsu decided that it was high time for him to reacquaint himself with Lucy's refrigerator. As he pulled open the door, mouth already watering, he was instantly disappointed. The only thing she really had was some milk and a bit of cheese. Making a face he closed the door and went back into his friends room to unceremoniously plop down on the bed. Boy, could he use a good meal. And Lucy was usually pretty good about keeping the kitchen stocked with goodies.

The dragon slayer frowned as he wondered what's really been going on with the celestial mage ever since he he didn't get too long to ponder on this before she reemerged from the bathroom looking fresh and pink time rather than wearing a towel, she had on a navy blue t-shirt with a pair of pink shorts. Natsu tilted his head to catch her eyes and smiled. Lucy grinned back, her eyes glittered with emotions he could exactly gauge.

"I… I can hardly believe it's really you…." She crossed the room to settle in next to him, "I really thought… I might never see you again. You have no idea just how worried I was…" Lucy looked down at her clenched hands in sudden embarrassment.

"Luce… I promised you I would come back home, didn't I?" The fire users eyes were soft with that flame of pride flickering within them, "You're the one who taught me never to break a promise, remember?" Without realizing it, Natsu had reached out and wrapped his fingers around one of Lucy's small fists and the contact set a strange familiar heat through his veins.

The blond started just the smallest bit at the contact and her cheeks turned pink once more, "Yeah… but… I couldn't help but worry…. that you forgot me."

"I could _never _forget you, Lucy! I don't even know how you could think that, you're my most precious nakama." He stopped to calm himself, "I mean… There isn't any way that I could forget about you, Luce. You're my best friend, my partner." He glanced down, "Not to mention, it's hard to forget you when you're on every other cover of The Sorcerer."

"You read them?"

"Every single one for the past three years." he squeezed her hand as he held her gaze, "And from everything I read… I kind of gathered that you missed me, a lot."

If Lucy wasn't blushing before, she certainly was now. "W-what… I mean, Yeah… it sucked to have you gone but it's not like I m-"

"I missed you too, Luce. More than I ever thought possible." Natsu glanced up at her with an almost bashful expression as he plied her fists into a more relaxed position and laced their fingers. "And you know, even though you mentioned me a lot in those interviews… it was weird… I felt like you were moving on in a lot of ways and becoming someone I knew less and less." He scowled, looking down at their entwined hands, "It kinda pissed me off some, to be honest. Because I thought I should be the one to know you the best no matter what, and be there with you every step of her way. And I wasn't, and it didn't like it…. feeling like the longer I was gone the less I knew about you, the less i was apart of your life."

Lucy watched him for a long moment before moving to rest her cheek against shoulder breathing in his warm woodsy scent. "I think that no matter how far you are, or how long you've been gone, you'll always know me better than anyone else. And you're always have a bigger hand in my life than anyone else ever will." The stellar mage sighed and the two where quiet for a few more moment, basking in the presence of each other.

"Though, I'm kind of curious," Lucy spoke up again, "Did you find Igneel? Is that why you're back."

"Naw… the clues to finding Igneel still haven't really lead to much. So the search is still on."

Pulling away from Natsu but still keeping the warm contact of his hand, Lucy search this fire users eyes. "If you still haven't found Igneel then… why did you come back?"

"Jeez, Luce, you make it sound like I shouldn't have come back or somethin'." he snickered and shifted his weight slightly, brushing his thumb over the soft skin of Lucy's hand absently (Lucy wondered if he had any idea what he was doing to her with such an innocent touch?).

"Y-You know what's not what I mean! I just thought that…. that was going to be the last time you would leave. That you absolutely wouldn't come back until you found your father…" her voice caught as she imagined involuntary a life without him again.

Natsu was silent for a moment, "That was the plan actually. Until I realized that, yeah, Igneel will always be important to me. He's my father. But I know that Igneel is fine where ever he is and I know that I'll always have chances to go look for him." His eyes flashed up to meet Lucy's with a very Natsu like determination that made the butterflies in her stomach seem like tiny fireworks , "But if I stay away for too long I'll lose my chances with you. I realized after three years of traveling alone, being away from you, from Fairy Tail… only being able to know you through some stupid magazine. Eventually you'd end up finding some other person to be your partner, you'd turn into a whole other Lucy I wouldn't know… you would probably fall in love with some one…"

The dragon slayer pulled his hand away, suddenly embarrassed and he ran both hands through his hair (immediately they were both feeling colder, already yearning for the others touch). Glancing away, Natsu rubbed the back of his neck nervously. As much as he'd wanted to see Lucy and be with her, he hadn't exactly thought about what he might say to her, but then again, when was he ever the type to plan things out.

"I don't wanna lose you, Luce… I can't." Natsu let out a somber sigh, still not meeting her doe eyes.

The blond watched in silence for a long moment before she reached out and slid her arms around the mans shoulders. He started at the contact but he relaxed quickly, put to ease by that unique Lucy scent that filled him up and made him light headed. When his arms settled around her waist, instinctively pulling her tight against his body, the stellar mage nuzzled his hair, her lips grazing his ear in a way that felt way to good.

"You'll never lose me, Natsu." the words were just a breath against his ear but they sent shockwaves through his entire body.

Pulling away just enough to see her face, search her eyes, Natsu didn't think as he leaned forward to press his lips to hers soft but sure. Ending the small kiss, Natsu smiled at the stellar mage bashfully as she sputtered and flushed.

"W-what was that for…?" Lucy knew it was a dumb question but she had to ask.

Grinning at her, the dragon slayer gave her a squeeze around the waist, "I want to keep you, Luce. I want to keep you as my partner. I want to keep you as more than all that stuff." He paused for a moment to think before he said gently, "Maybe I'm being kind of selfish, but can you promise that I'll never lose you?"

Lucy's heart fluttered at his words, they weren't the precise words she wanted to hear, but she was sure he'd get to that one day, "I promise. But only if you promise never to leave me behind again."

"I promise, Lucy!" And with a gleeful laugh, reminding the blond that Natsu was forever the boy she met in Haregon, he crushed her to him in a bear hug. "I'll never leave you alone again."

With a giggle, Lucy settled into the dragon slayers lap, "You better not. Or I'll send Erza to punish you."

"Ugh….. don't ruin the moment." The dragon slayer groaned at the remembrance of Erza's punishments. That was definitely something he didn't miss.

"But you know what, Natsu?"

"Hm."

"It kinda feels like… you chose me over Igneel. But maybe that's just _me _being selfish."

Natsu shifted slightly on the bed so he could lay down, pulling her on top of him, "Naw, it's not selfish since it's true. I have a life time to look for Igneel and I've gotten on with my life fine without him up until now. But I really don't know what I would do without you, Lucy. I really, really don't."

"Me either. I think we're just stuck with each other from now on." The blond sighed contentedly, closing her eyes and listening to the sound of his breathing.

The dragon slayer could hear her own breathing even out as she seemed to drift off to sleep. He was pretty exhausted himself after his trip, but his heart was still pounding with his celestial mage wrapped up in his arms. Reluctantly, he shifted her onto the bed and got up to turn the lights out. Stretching in the partial darkness (the street lights cast a slight ambiance in the room), Natsu moved to find his travel bag on the floor and rummaged through it to find a t-shirt rather than wear his staple vest. Crawling onto the bed, pressing Lucy's body near him once more, her particular warmth and her particular Lucy smell was intoxicating. Pressing his nose to her soft, lavender scented hair sleep was finally taking him under. He was glad he choose this path, and he knew he'd choose it over and over again if it came down to it.

* * *

A/N: It's been quite awhile hasn't it? I'm pretty sure I've been picking at this and two other nalu fics for the past six months or so. But it's probably the longest fic I've written for these little one-shots (two-shots in this case) so hopefully that makes up for it a little bit ; o ; I also want to apologize for any grammar and spelling errors since I have no beta and little patience to keep re-reading this thing. But I hope you guys enjoyed it!


	11. A Woman's Touch

**A/N: **Unbeta'd. So I apologize for any glaring mistakes!

**A Woman's Touch**

"Bunny girl," Lucy jumped slightly at the rough voice that called her by a nickname she preferred not to acknowledge, "I've been looking for you."

Bookmarking her page, the blond stellar mage turned hesitantly to look up at the dark haired dragon slayer looming above her, "…Ah… Gazille… W-what can I help you with?" Despite the fact that they were on much better terms than before, Lucy still didn't feel completely comfortable around the iron dragon slayer.

"I was wondering if I could talk to you about somethin'." He smirked as her eyes quickly became curious

"Yeah?" she eyed him suspiciously. It was definitely strange for Gazille to ask her to 'talk' (honestly, it was a cause for alarm if anyone in Fairy Tail approached her to 'talk'), but she would be lying if she said she wasn't curious.

Crossing his arms with a confident (maybe arrogant would be a better description) chuckle, the dragon slayer simply stated, "It's a secret." And when Lucy pouted in irritation, he added, "I'll tell you once we're outta here. This place is never a good idea to talk about 'private' things. Nosy fairies."

"You're damn right about that," Lucy snorted in agreement. Carefully sliding off of the bench so as not to give any unwanted peep shows, she stuffed her book into her back and gave the intimidating man a small smile, "Well, let's get out of here."

**xxxx**

"WHAT WAS THAT, FIRE-FACE?" A furious Gray growled as he dodged one of Natsu's flaming punches.

"I SAID THAT I COULD KICK YOUR ASS ANY DAY OF THE WEEK, POPSICLE! " Natsu yelled as he proceeded to bombard his fellow guild mate with a random attack.

"Pft, yeah right. Say that the day you beat Erza," the ice mage snickered.

"Excuse me?" The red-head approached the dueling duo with her eyes narrowed. "Would you care to repeat your words, Gray."

The fight ended then and there.

Slinging an arm over each others shoulders, sweat beaded on both Natsu and Gray's brow.

"W-what? I didn't say anything, Erza… you know.. me and Natsu were just… uh, you know.. playing a game."

"Yeah.. best friends… hangin' out," Natsu added with uncertainty.

Erza nodded her approval before turned her attention to the door. "I wonder where Lucy and Gazille are off to…" she mused aloud before shrugging and leaving the two 'friends' to check the request board.

"Lucy never hangs out with Gazille… when'd they get to be all buddy buddy?" Gray had already thoroughly detached himself from the dragon slayer now that Erza was gone.

Natsu scowled at the door of the guild which his partner has just passed through. This was definitely unusual. Sure, Lucy and Gazille talked in the guild, but it was almost always in a group. "Weird." The idea of Lucy spending time alone with the iron dragon slayer made him feel funny.

"Looks like Gazille is gonna steal your girlfriend, flame brain." The ice-maker chuckled. "I mean, honestly, the dude is way cooler than you are. So I can understand why she-"

"SCREW YOU, STRIPPER."

**xxxx**

The mid spring breeze blew through Lucy's loose blond hair which she had boldly decided to curl that day. A few random men whistled as she passed them, but she paid no mind to them (that's not to say that she did not very much enjoy the attention). Glancing to her side, she eyed her unusual companion with unmasked interest. Gazille Redfox was definitely the last person she ever imagined she would be strolling the streets of magnolia with, eating ice cream happily (at least on her end).

She had initially pinned him as this angry, destructive guy full of iron-y rage, or something like that. She feared him for awhile, even had nightmares that were all blood red eyes and wild raven black hair and maliciously gleaming metal studs. Yet, over the few years they've known each other, she discovered him to be much more calm and quite a bit more mature than her own dragon slayer. Gazille was boisterous and loved to fight just as the rest of her guild did, but he seemed so much more exclusive and private than the others. And then his relationship with her best friend was a whole other spectrum to his character. He took care care of that tiny blunette in ways no other could. Levy was the brains and Gazille was the brawn, (and while she would never say it out loud, it made her think so much of her own relationship).

"So," Lucy dared to glimpse his way once more, catching those red eyes that once made her shiver in fear. "What did you want to talk about?"

The dragon slayer rubbed the back of his neck (oh, an unexpectedly shy gesture), before he hesitantly said, "Levy's birthday is coming up pretty soon."

"Oh! You're right, I nearly forgot." The stellar mage smirked, pleased to find that Gazille indeed was quite the attentive partner to her blue haired friend. "But what's going on that you need to talk to me specifically?"

"I wanna do something…" he stumbled on his words and scowled, "I guess… I wanna do something 'special' for her. I mean, she says that I'm too 'nonchalant' about everything or whatever the hell…"

Lucy giggled, "Well, you kind of are."

"Hn. Well, anyways, I want to do something nice for her. Let her know that I care. " Gazille looked down at her at that moment, and something in his eyes tugged at her heart. Something in those red eyes of his was so earnest and heartfelt. It was obvious he truly cared about Levy in his own quiet, round about way. She could feel it burning and resonating within him- the fierce affection he held for the solid script mage.

"And why did you want to talk to me specifically?"

The iron dragon slayer smirked, "Out of everyone else, aside from Levy, you're the least obnoxious, and you seem like you can keep a secret." Her unimpressed expression made him snicker. "And then you're one of Levy's closest friends, and you have a lot in common." he paused and his arrogant expression faltered and Lucy could have sworn she saw something soft and unsure in him. "I'm not very good at the whole doting boyfriend thing, I figure you would have a better idea of how I can make her birthday... more... Romantic."

Finishing the last of her ice cream, the blond beamed up at the dragon slayer like summer sunshine, "Well, you've come to the right person. I'll do m best to help you make Levy's birthday a day she will never forget!"

**xxxx**

"Where've you been, Luce?" Natsu immediately sprung up from the couch when he heard the door open and Lucy's sweet floral laced scent waft into the room.

The stellar mage shut the door behind her and neatly placed her bag on the table. "I hung out with Gazille a little bit," she said as she met his eyes with a softness that set his heart pounding. Natsu found himself drawn to her warmth as he crossed the distance to slide his arms around her small waist and lift her up against him. A girlish laugh bubbled up from her throat when he squeezed her tint before she dipped her fingers into his rosy hair and nestled her face into the crook of his neck. "I missed you," she cooed playfully.

"Did you?" His voice was laced with excitement and pleasure at the idea that she had been thinking about him. He didn't care that they were a sappy over affectionate couple. Because Gray was obviously far off base in thinking that Lucy would ever run off with that metal eating idiot Gazille. His Lucy would never do that, she would never leave him.

Her fingers dropped down against the back of his neck, running past his scar to feel the ridge of bumps of his spine, Lucy nodded, "Yup."

Natsu chuckled as he set her back down on her feet but his hands lingered, he wasn't ready to let her go. His dark eyes watched her intently, holding her eyes for a moment before they slowly moved to take in the rest of her golden beauty. Her cheeks were pink from her giggles, her small hands were clutching greedily at his vest, and when he caught her autumn eyes staring up at him with a dark glimmer, he could help the devilish grin that curled the corners of his mouth. "You want to kiss me don't you?"

"What makes you think I want to do something like that?" She tried to arrange her features into disinterest but her eyes would always give her away. With a raised brow she slid out of his arms to walk into the kitchen with an emphasized sway in her step.

With a mischievous smirk, Natsu stalked after the stellar mage into the kitchen. "Don't tease, Luce… you know what that does to me." Reeling her in by the top of her arm, the fire mage spun his woman around in his arms and backed her up against the counter, caging her.

"Oh? And just what does it do to you?" Lucy looked up at him from beneath her lashes, something hungry darkened her eyes.

Showing his fangs in a predatory display, Natsu crushed his lips to hers and didn't take his time in prying her lips open with his tongue to delve inside. Lucy responded in kind, fisting his hair, dragging her nails over the defined planes of his back and grabbing the worn fabric of his vest. He dropped his hands to her curvaceous hips to lift her onto the counter top and positioned himself between her legs, nipping and sucking the milky skin of her neck.

Making his way back up to her lips, the dragon slayer slowed down, letting that dark desire boil and simmer in his gut. Lucy keened under his attentive lips and hands as they trailed over her body, as he slowly removed each article of clothing. He inhaled her, let her scent fill him up to the point of near intoxication and pressed searing kisses to her mouth, "I'm not very good at explaining myself." He panted between his words which were in a rough, and strained , "But I promise I'll show you, Luce. I'll show you just how much you push me over the edge."

Later that night after they were both raw from their passion, arms curled around each other like they might float away if they left go, Natsu nuzzled the top of her head with a sleepy smirk. "Damn, Lucy," a husky chuckle left his throat, "You manage to wear even me out. And that's saying a lot."

Lucy traced circles on Natsu's shoulder blades, "Mmm, trust me, the feeling is mutual." She yawned, sleep coming down on her like a thick cloud.

Natsu felt more relaxed, more secure than he had earlier when she had uncharacteristically left to 'spend time' with Gazille. He figured he might as well ask now, "Hey, Luce?"

"Hm?"

"What were you doing with Gazille anyways? When'd you get so chummy?"

With a strained yawn, Lucy curled into his large, warm body. "'s a secret…" she barely managed to murmur before her deep even breathing told him that she was fast asleep.

Sighing in irritation, Natsu felt the strange suspicion boil in his stomach once more.

**xxxx**

Over the course of the next few days, Natsu watched as Lucy and the iron-eater spent more and more time together. Often they met up at the guild and left soon after and went to gods know where. Normally he would be okay with this, he wasn't really worried about the two of them time alone, but he couldn't help but be a bit irritated that she was spending so much time with someone other than himself. Not to mention it was impossibly boring without his favorite weirdo around. So, for the trillionth time that afternoon, Natsu sighed.

"What's the matter? You look pretty down in the dumps today." Lisanna took a seat next the dragon slayer and offered a gentle smile that let him know she was willing to help with anything he needed.

Glancing over at his childhood friend, Natsu resumed glowering at his glass of fire rum. "Nothing."

"Aw, come on. You're a crappy liar."

"Well..." he hesitated, because really, he knew Lucy had every right to hang out with whoever she wanted. "It's just that Lucy's been off with iron face a lot these days." When he huffed, little tufts of smoke escaped his nostrils.

Lisanna watched as he sulked, really it was quite hilarious, but she would refrain from saying anything about that.."Oh... I guess they have been hanging out a lot these days. It's a bit unusual, I suppose, but they are friends."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get that and it's cool. Lucy can hang out with anyone she wants to and I'm not going to stop her. But she never hangs out with anyone more than me..." Sweet Edolas, he must sound like some whiny lovestruck idiot. He groaned and buried his face in his arms. "Ugh, this is dumb, Lis. I just wish they would hurry up and finish whatever it is that they're doing so me and Luce can go do some kind of mission."

The take-over mage barely managed to suppress giggle as she watched the fire user agonize over his girlfriend. "Oh~ I think someone's a little jealous." She snickered as Natsu shot up with an outraged scowl on his face.

"W-what? I'm not jealous. I'm so not jealous over that dumb piece of scrap metal!"

"Is that so? Could have fooled me."

"Oh, hey guys!" a small pleasant voice chirped behind them. Both Natsu and Lisanna turned to find Levy cradling a large pile of books in her arms. Lisanna smiled and Natsu turned his back to her, not in the mood to be particularly social. "Uh... Am I interrupting?"

"Not really," The white haired girl reached out to give Natsu a squeeze on the shoulder. "Natsu is having some love issues."

"I'm not having any issues! Things with me and Luce are awesome! I mean the sex is-"

"Okay! We don't need to hear about that, Natsu!" both girls interjected, neither wanted to think about that aspect of their friends.

"Whatever. Things with us are good still. It's just weird for Lucy to hang out with Gazille so much..." The dragon slayer seemed to deflate and slumped down, resting his cheek on the bar. "Ugh, Gazille already has you, Levy. Why's he gotta steal my girlfriend too. You need to control your damn man!"

Levy couldn't stifle her giggle, "Natsu... I've never known you to be jealous like this!"

"I-I'm not jealous! What are you talking about!" He frowned at the tiny blunette.

"She's got a good point, Natsu. You don't like her hanging out with Gazille because you totally think something is going on!" Lisanna snickered and gave him a little nudge in the ribs with her elbow.

"Who would be jealous of that asshole..." he grumbled under his breath

The girls tittered for a moment before Levy placed her books on the bar top and took a seat up on the other side of Natsu. "Well, all joking aside, I don't really think you have anything to be worried about Natsu. Lucy loves you a lot and she would never do anything to hurt you."

"And Gazille is Levy's boyfriend, and I don't think he would do anything skeevy with her best friend." Lisanna smiled gently, "There's absolutely no way they would be doing anything behind both of your backs."

"It doesn't bug you at al, Levy?" Natsu turned his dark eyes on the tiny little book lover and wondered how she could be so relaxed about this situation.

"I won't say that I don't think it's a bit unusual, but I do think it's nice for them to get to know each other better. Besides, we all need a bit of space." Levy smiled reassuringly, and Natsu found himself feeling better about the situation.

"Hey, fire-freak. I heard Lucy dumped you for Gazille. I knew it would just be a matter of time." Gray sauntered up to the bar and shot the dragon slayer a condescending smirk.

Natsu immediate rose to headbutt Gray in an alarming blur of pink hair and black clothing and sent his notorious frienemy flying back across a set of tables, "OY! WHAT WAS THAT YOU SNOW FAIRY?"

Lisanna and Levy sighed as the guild then erupted into flames, ice shards and splintered wood.

**xxxx**

Away from the guild, Lucy and Gazille had made their way to a small park on the outskirts of magnolia. They wanted to be as discreet as possible. Lucy enjoyed the idea that she wasn't the only one who understood the concepts of privacy or secrecy. "Okay, so we've already narrowed down the possibilities. Nothing too cliche but definitely still romantic and I think Levy would like it if the surprise was more something that came from your heart. It wouldn't be as intimate if it seemed like I did all of the planning."

Gazille pulled a small black leather pouch of metal rods from his belt and pulled one out to munch on, Lucy watched for a moment with mild curiosity even though she was used to the strange eating habits of dragon slayers by now. "Yeah. I'm not going to do something that's all flowery bullshit. I'll leave that for the other pansy ass fairies." The dragon slayer smirked, "though I bet it's more than your idiot could ever hope to accomplish."

Lucy shot the iron-eater a sharp, irritated look, "Can we leave Natsu out of this conversation. This is about you and Levy."

"C'mon bunny girl, you gotta admit it. Natsu wouldn't know romance if it blew up in his face."

"Look, I normally don't go around bragging about my personal life and I know that he comes off pretty dense and he's always doing stupid stuff, but never once have I been disappointed by him- not as nakama and not as a boyfriend. He's incredible and so passionate about everything he does. Natsu does everything in his power to make me happy. Maybe he doesn't do it intentionally all the time, but he does a lot of sweet things for me. He takes me on his adventures and he's willing to share his whole world with me. Everyday with him is something new and grand." The blond felt her face becoming hotter as thought and feelings about her Dragon Slayer bubbled up to the surface on the surface of her heart. "And he is romantic... You have no idea just how much he does for me. H-he isn't romantic in a typical way, but the way he does everything with such fire just for me is enough to take my breath away."

Gazille hardly knew what to think about the sudden explosion of emotion that Lucy had just unleashed. But he did know that she had was defensive of her mate and she wasn't going to back down. The dragon slayer was at a loss for words before he settled on a noncommittal grunt.

"W-well anyways, " she took a moment take a breath, "Let's get back to the topic at hand, I think your idea to take Levy-chan to the beach is a really nice idea, it's warm and the seafood will be delicious, the mood will certainly get steamy." she waggled her eyebrows suggestively, "It'll be away from the guild too, so you'll have her all to yourself."

"I agree. I don't want all the stupid fairies to ruin the party."

Lucy giggled, "Yeah... those guys just don't understand the concept of alone time very well, do they?" She rested her cheek against her knees, "But keep in mind, don't plan everything out because that's a recipe for failure. All you need to do is pick a location, maybe plan a few places you'd like to go to and let the chips fall where they may. Just being yourself and going with the flow is the best choice of action."

"Sounds good, Bunny girl." Gazille tied his little snack pouch back to his belt and pushed himself away from the bench and nodded his head back in the direction of the guild, "We better head out. I'm sure that hothead of yours is ready to explode, us dragons tend to get a bit... territorial."

"Ah, don't worry about it. Natsu doesn't have a jealous bone in his body."

The dragon slayer shrugged, "If you say so."

**xxxx**

Arriving at the guild, Lucy and Gazille found the whole place to be in complete chaos. This wasn't anything unusual so the two of them didn't bat a lash as a broken table leg went whizzing between them and exploded in a thousand pieces against the door. Sighing, the stellar mage turned to Gazille and couldn't help the sardonic smile the curled over her glossed lips, "Well, I'm off to somehow drag Natsu home. I'll see you in a few days?"

"Yeah. I'm off early in morning so I think I'll be back by the day afterimage the morning." Gazille glancing uninterestedly at the maelstrom of flying weapons, fire, smoke, ice, and a plethora of other things. "Good luck dragging the flame head out of there. Looks like he's really into it."

"Ugh, don't even remind me." And with a casual wave, Lucy parted from the dragon slayer so she could somehow pull Natsu out of the brawl. It was late and she was so ready to cuddle up with her personal space heater. Standing just outside the ruckus, Lucy narrowed her eyes and tried to keep steady focusing the pink hair that was darting about and brandishing wild attacks at anyone and everyone who dared get in his way. Normally she would leave him to his own devices but she wasn't in the mood for waiting around for the idiot to run out of steam (she wasn't even sure he would ever run out of steam). Pulling her whip from it's resting place at her side, the blond waited for a good opening as she cracked the tight leather against the floor as a warning that she knew none of the combatants would hear. Finally, the fire user came into reach and she could see him land momentarily on a table and tensed up ready to launch into another attack.

Whip lashing out quick and precise, the leather caught the dragon slayer around the ankle as he made to leap out of line of one of Gray's attacks. With a yelp of surprise at the resistance, he came tumbling down onto the floor and immediately jumped up to find the cause of his fall. "Hey- Oh! Lucy! Where've you been?" He casually walked away from the madness, brushing off his pants and adjusting his scarf.

"Hanging out with Gazille. But I'm ready to go home. It's dinner time." She nodded towards the door, "Shall we?"

A small part of Natsu wanted to rebel childishly after hearing the mention of the iron dragon slayer. He contemplated brushing her off to rejoin the heated guild battle but h shrugged off the petty thought and offered her a lazy smile, "Sure. Let's blow this joint."

Pleased by his willingness, the blond held out her hand for him to take, and the dragon slayer didn't hesitate in lacing their fingers and pulling her close to his side as they left the melee behind them.

Halfway home, the couple had talked about a variety of little things: the weather, what they would have for dinner but allowed themselves to lapse into comfortable silences in between. Or at least Lucy thought it was comfortable as she hummed and trained her eyes on the stars that dotted the twilight sky. Natsu on the other hand was still rather annoyed by the new friendship between his girlfriend and his fellow dragon slayer.

"Luce, ya know, I'm really curious to know why you're so buddy-buddy with Gazille these days."

Her happy hum faded and warm eyes settled on him with an arched brow, "I don't really think I need a reason to be friendly with him. But we happen to get along quite well."

Natsu sighed as he turned his eyes away from her to watch the streetlights flicker on along the riverwalk. "You never hung out with him like this before," his lip jutted out in a pout, "Just tell me alreadyyyyyy. You know I hate secrets."

The blond rolled her eyes at his dramatics, "I made a promise not to give away his secret."

The dragon slayer seemed to visibly deflate at her response. To Lucy, keeping a promise no matter how insignificant was a matter of life and death. This was something he loved about his mate and he would respect it.

"Alright, alright. I'll drop it then." he shoved his hands in his pockets with a pout.

A grin lit Lucy's face in a way that had Natsu blushing despite himself. Making her way close to his side she laced their fingers once more and said in a voice soft and clear, "Thank you."

**xxxx**

"I thought you and Lucy were gonna go on a mission?" Gray yawned as he approached the bar where Mirajane had already prepared the dark haired alchemist a strawberry smoothie.

Glancing up briefly before returning to his overfilled plate of flaming pasta, Natsu shrugged. "We're gonna head out later tonight," he said as he shoveled several spoonfuls into his mouth, gluttonously chewing with his mouth open. Still with a mouthful he continued, "She went to meet up with Gazille at the train station."

"I bet it's a romantic rendezvous." Gray smirked as he took a long sip of his chilled drink.

"Go die in a fire. It is not."

"Wanna bet? I mean look at you, you're just a disgusting flaming idiot with no manners. At least Gazille's got some suave to him."

Rolling his eyes, Natsu pushed away from his seat and fixed the ice alchemist with a dark look, "Y'know what, you fucking snow fairy, let's settle this and go see for ourselves. My woman ain't cheating on me! You ought to now that Lucy would never do something underhanded like that."

"Fine, let's go to the train station and see what's really going on."

**xxxx**

In a matter of minutes the to less than friendly friends were at the train station, careful not to attract to much atten-

"For the love of Edolas, but on some freaking pants Gray!"

"Shit! How did that happen?"

Natsu quickly caught wind of the scent that was undeniably Lucy and none-to-gently tugged on Gray's arm, "There she is." Quickly the two of them ducked behind a pillar and waited for any signs of Gazille. Natsu didn't see anything in her demeanor outside of the ordinary, and he was sure if she was doing anything she knew wasn't right she would be looking nervous and fidgeting all over the place. She was calmly reading a booking while she waited, glancing up at the big clock every here and again. She was dressed really nicely though, more nice than usual. She had on a white , lacy sundress that set off the golden tones of her skin. Her hair was done up in a pristine bun with her favorite pair of earrings on (a string of stars and hearts made of blue and white jewels, very Lucy). She even had on make up! Was she trying to impress Gazille? Because if she were, it was obvious that he would be blown away. Every man that passed glanced her way, momentarily stunned by her beauty. Natsu couldn't help but feel doubtful. He wanted to leave and pretend that nothing was wrong.

After what seemed to be ages (it was only ten minutes but Natsu wasn't one to sit still for very long), the shrill screech of the train as it wheeled into the station filled the air. Smoke flowed down from the spout to swirl in the air, and it filled Natsu's nostrils, masking most scents in the room. The sounds and smells of the train nearly sent his body reeling. Just thinking about transportation was enough to make him turn green.

"Oy, there he is." Gray elbowed him roughly in the ribs, maybe a little too roughly because if he were a normal person he surely would have a bruise the next day.

"Oof," Natsu hissed, "I promise if you touch me again I'll barbecue you."

"I'd like to see you try." Gray got a mischievous look for a moment before he peer around the column once more to find Gazille and Lucy talking about something, even laughing. They were reacting to each other so naturally, s easily that the dread in his stomach was starting to weigh him down.

Natsu held his breath as he watched, even though he had confidence in Lucy that she would never do anything as low as Gray is suggesting. But he was rather curious what all their meetings were about. After a few moments, Gazille set his pack on the ground and bent to rummage through it before he pulled out two packages. They weren't anything special looking, just parcels wrapped in brown paper. He briefly held on up for the blonde to see and she nodded as if understanding, agreeing. Then he smirked and not very delicately shoved the other at her. Confusion and surprise flickered across her face and Natsu tensed, strangely nervous. Was he pressuring her into something?

Hesitantly, Lucy started to unwrap the parcel and she lit up like a wildfire. A deep frown cut into Natsu's features. Gazille had obvious given her a gift that she adores. And suddenly his Lucy was unceremoniously throwing her arms around the much larger man, jubilant cries reached Natsu's ears and he was doing everything he could to keep himself in check. And when he heard the words 'I love you' and her lips briefly touch the iron-eaters cheek, all hell broke loose.

The column he and Gray had been hiding behind promptly exploded and Lucy jumped away from Gazille in alarm, her fingers reaching for her keys. Gazille had already tensed into a defensive stance, but quickly realized that the explosion was none other than Natsu. For a split second he faltered and that was all the opening Natsu needed to launch himself at the other dragon slayer with a deafening roar.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Natsu growled as he rushed him with flaming fists. "Lucy. Is. _Mine_!"

And the collision made a shocking noise of metal and Lucy shrieked somewhere outside of Natsu's vision as Gazille was nearly thrown across the room, destroying another pillar and several benches. Fortunately most of the bystanders had moved away from the scene. They knew better than to mess with a Mage brawl, especially one that involved the infamous Salamander.

Still seething, feeling nothing but the need to protect and retain what was rightfully his was pulsing through his system, he caught sight of blond hair and lace and turned just in time to feel the burn of a slap. Startled he reached up to feel the dull sting on his cheek. It didn't really hurt that much, but it pulled his heart strings and all the rage seemed to fall away in that instant. Glancing up at Lucy, he was surprised to see the look of pure boiling anger on her face.

"_WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING_?" she shrieked in her fury, her face was completely red from both her anger and the embarrassment of the scene her boyfriend had just caused.

"W-wha? I was just protecting what's MINE! This asshole was trying to steal you from me!" he pointed an accusing finger at a more than pissed off dragon slayer who was pulling himself up from what was left of a wall.

Lucy stared at Natsu completely incredulous. "_Excuse me_? What are you talking about?"

"I saw what just happened! He gave you something and you KISSED him. You told him you _loved_ him!" his voice was edging in something like hysterical.

Suddenly it all made sense to the spirit mage but it did nothing to lessen her rage. "Are you seriously telling me that you just destroyed a good part of this train station because you think was going to cheat on you?" Hurt and disbelief burned in her eyes, "He was nice enough to buy me a rare first edition of a book on the history and origins of stellar spirits and their contractors, and yeah, I gave him kiss on the cheek, big deal. And its not like I haven't said 'I love you' to half the guild for little gifts they've given me. It wasn't a proclamation of undying love and _you_ should know better than that."

By the time she had finished, Gazille was now standing a few feet from them, gathering his things, "Seriously dude, have some faith in the woman. I was being nice cause she was helping me plan a surprise for Levy. I'm happy enough with my own woman, and I've got a bit more self dignity than you might think to try and steal yours." With a low snarl, the iron dragon slayer chose to leave, this wasn't the kind of thing that he was going to start a dragon slayer war over.

"I can't believe you would think so little of me..." Lucy shook her head, disappoint meant glazing her eyes. Natsu felt the overwhelming weight of shame bear down on him. He really did make it seem like he had no faith in the woman that he had chosen to be his life partner.

"Luce, I-" she shook her head and he was completely cut off.

"I don't want to talk to you right now." Her face was hard and her normally crystal clear eyes seemed distant. "I'll see you later."

And with that, Lucy turned on her heel and stalked out of station leaving the train station and the dragon slayers heart in total chaos.

**xxxx**

Natsu slumped over the bar, obviously tormented. He was screwed for sure.

"I'm sure if you just try and talk with her, everything will be okay, Natsu." The motherly words of Mirajane could not comfort him, even the fire whiskey that she'd given him on the house was doing little to lift his spirits or even dull them.

Groaning, the dragon slayer raked his fingers through his hair, "I've tried to talk to her. I've apologized and I've given her FLOWERS!" he quickly lost the fight in his voice and leaned on hand, "It's my own fault though, I shouldn't have listened to dumbass Gray and just trusted her. Above anyone else I should have trusted Lucy. But I don't know... I saw her hug 'im and I couldn't hold myself back."

The bartender watched the pitiful flame user with concern before she allowed herself to stroke his hair maternally, "You obviously feel awful about it, and you love her. She'll forgive you with time."

"What if she never does forgive me though?"

"She will, just give it some time."

Watching the white haired woman leave, Natsu sighed and lifted the flaming amber liquid to his mouth. It had been a few days since he had last tried to talk with Lucy. He had spent an entire night one her doorstep, begging and pleaded to no avail. The next day he was on her doorstep groveling again, he even went and picked her up a huge (and frighteningly expensive) bouquet of roses and left them on her doorstep. It felt like he'd lost his own personal sunlight and he was treading in constant darkness.

Dropped the mug back to the polished mohagany bar, the rosy-haired man looked up in time to see the last person on earthland he wanted to talk to.

"Hey man..." Gray rose a hand in a cautious hello, his dark eyes weary, afraid the fire user would attack him full force. But no attack came, instead Natsu turned his back on his comrade. "Natsu, I know it's kind of my fault for the whole thing..."

Adjusting the scale scarf around his neck, Natsu shrugged with little energy, "It's fine. It's my own fault for buying into your bullshit. I knew Lucy wouldn't do something like that, she's not that kinda girl." His dark eyes glared into his glass, "I'm such a fuckin' idiot, to doubt her like that just cause she hugged another guy and said some superficial words. I fuckin' know her better than."

Watching his friend wallow in guilt gave Gray a heavy heart, "Still, I didn't have pushed you like that..."

"Just drop it Gray. It's fine." Natsu pushed away from the bar, no longer willing to sit and listen to the alchemist try and take the blame. Even with Gray's provocation he still should have never second guessed her. Lucy Heartphilia was honorable and kind-hearted to a fault, she would never do anything so petty as cheat. That's why he loved her the way that he did.

As he made his way towards the door he felt a heavy hand fall on his shoulder and he turned and found himself staring at a face full of silver studs and red eyes, "You gotta stop looking like a freakin' zombie."

Natsu just turned his eyes away, too ashamed to really retort. He reacted pretty foolishly the last time he saw Gazille and he knew he owed the Iron-eater a good apology.

"If you see the bunny girl, tell her thanks for all her help." Gazille's voice was low and filled with such a genuine sense of gratitude that it shocked him for a moment.

As the taller, older man turned to make his way over to the tiny girl that was his mate, Natsu grabbed his arm and blurted, "I'm sorry... for being a total asshole."

"It's cool," he chuckled, "I'm sure I would've acted the same if I was in the same situation. Dragons get pretty territorial I hear." And with that, Natsu was left feeling a little lighter than he had before.

**xxxx**

It was near two in the morning and Natsu was sure it was a bad idea to be standing there throwing rocks at Lucy's window. Seriously, how old was he? He had been at it for a solid half an hour before he heard a clatter of metal latches being roughly undone and then the window being pushed open by a very, very unhappy looking blond.

"Oh my god! Do you know what time it is? You're going to wake up my neighbors!" He voice was slightly hushed, but he could hear her perfectly. The sound settled on his ears like some sort of heavenly choir.

"You should've opened up sooner!" he whisper-shouted.

Pursing her lips, she started to close the windows, and he panicked.

"Wait!" Natsu called after her with desperation laced in his tone. "Let me up, Luce. Please?"

Lucy hesitated, her wide coffee eyes stared down at him in the dark of the sleepy city, his body seemed to glow slightly in the dim, street light. Finally, she sighed, "C'mon then."

With a subdued whoop, he leapt from windowsill to windowsill until he was perched in hers, that perfect spring-summer floral hitting him like a wall. He hadn't smelled her in days and he had forgotten how amazing it was. Stepping down onto the bed, he found that she had already moved away towards her writing desk where she was tucking away papers, he assumed it was the recent novel she'd been working on. It was obvious she hadn't left her house much in the few days they had been apart. Everything was immaculate and nearly glittering with perfect cleanliness.

"What is it, Natsu." She spoke with a measured tone as she pulled out her desk chair and eyed him unwaveringly.

Natsu hesitated before he spoke, firstly because she was gorgeous in nothing but one of his t-shirts. Secondly because he wasn't sure what he would say. So instead, of thinking about it, he just decided to be himself and blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "I was totally wrong for what I did, and I broke my promise to trust you no matter what. I'm not gonna say sorry anymore because that isn't enough." He knit his thin pink brows as he tried to think of something else to say, "I saw... I saw you hug Gazille and I just saw red... I dunno what came over me..."

He held Lucy's gaze, even though it was honestly a challenge for him at that moment. With her carefully collected demeanor, he could hardly tell what was going through her mind.

Plopping down on the floor he put his head in his hands, "Ugh, Lucy. This is killing me, I'm not good with my words... But... I don't want to lose you like this. I... I can't." He hated how his voice sounded so worthless and pathetic.

There was a long moment of silence before the air stirred slightly and he heard the soft padding of small feet against hardwood floors. He stiffened, afraid she would hit him, lash out, try to kick him out. Instead he felt warm hands gently cup his face and tilting it to look up, to face the beautiful blond girl he called 'his'.

"I was really mad at you." She started carefully, warm eyes never leaving his. "It hurt me so much to have you think that I would do something like that. I've practically sworn to the gods that I would love you until my last breath. To have you, of all people, doubt that was a blow to my pride." Her thumb caressed his cheek and he could see that she was still hurt and disappointed.

Reaching up with tanned, leathery hands, he gently ran his digits up her arms, holding them loosely in fear she might pull away. He wanted to touch her, connect with her, "I know. Every time I think about it, it's ridiculous. I know better than anyone you would never do something like that."

Smiling, Lucy reached to take his hands in hers, "Promise me you'll trust me from now on. No matter what?"

Nodding vigorously, Natsu all but tackled the blond to the floor. "I promise! I promise on the wings of Igneel that I'll never doubt you again!"

Giggling at the uninhibited affection and childishness that the dragon slayer displayed, Lucy wrapped her arms around his neck, "I'll hold you to that for the rest of your life."

A grin that practically split his face lit up Natsu's whole entire being. He was so overjoyed that his body was involuntarily warming up and Lucy felt the whole room grow a few degrees warmer. "We get to kiss and make up now, right?"

Rolling her eyes, Lucy laughed and pressed her lips to his.

**xxxx**

**Author's Note: **It's been way too long guys. This guy has been sitting on my computer for ages, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to upload it because it is definitely not my best. But I don't think I would ever rework it, so I figured why not. I just wanted to do something about Natsu being a jealous boyfriend I think, and also a little but of Gazille and Levy. : I have so many plot bunnies in my head, but we will see if they will hop out into a document sometime soon.

Read and Review pleaseeee ; v ;


	12. Envy

Gently pressing down the last of the bandage tape to ensure that it was secure, Lucy surveyed her handwork carefully before giving Sting a firm pat in the shoulder.

"There," she declared gently, "All patched up. Make sure you have someone help you change your bandages every day."

Dark eyes watched Fairy Tail's renowned celestial mage as she gracefully pulled herself up from her chair. Everything about her demeanor was soft and warm and the dormant rage he usually carried in his battle-worn body was soothed in her presence.

"Sting?" he was surprised when she spoke his name as if he wasn't someone who had tried to destroy everything she held dear.

He met her eyes and had to force himself not to reel back by the uninhibited kindness he saw in their depths. This girl was truly a rare breed and he was actually beginning to understand why that ridiculous excuse for a dragon slayer was so attached to her. And now that he thought about it, it was amusing to watch her squirm slightly under his scrutiny.

Lucy frowned nervously and tucked a lock of her loose golden hair behind her ear. "If you don't have anything to say then I'm leaving."

As she turned to go, the words tumbled out of his mouth before he could catch himself. "He's a fool for not realizing what he's got."

"W-what are you talking about?" the girl sputtered and spun around, surprise evident in her creased brow. He was sure she caught the implications in his statement.

"If it were me, I would never let you out of my sight. I'd never let you go.." Sting knew that he was crossing into some seriously dangerous territory here. This woman possibly be the fire dragon slayers mate and dense or not, he was sure if salamander himself caught wind of the feelings stirring in his chest he would be hurting a lot worse than he was now.

Dewy brown eyes flickered over his face before falling to her sandal clad feet. The blooms of pink over her cheeks made him feel warm all of a sudden. "It's fine the way that it is. Simply having him near, seeing his smiling face makes me happy." A smile as bright as the sun lit up her face then as she gently clutched at the light pink material of her skit, "After all, we are _nakama._"

Sting tried to school his face into a calm facade, but a white-hot war was raging in his heart now as he watched the blond move from her spot in the middle of the room to the window that oversaw the Capitol. He would be lying if he said he didn't think she was beautiful, especially in that moment the way the sunlight kissed her hair, setting her aglow like the brightest, purest gold. In that moment he wanted to whisk her away and keep the celestial mage for herself. In that moment he wanted her tender heart to be his, he wanted those honey sweet words to be his regardless of the consequences that would surely be in hot pursuit.

"Lu-" Before he could get another word out the door was thrown open with a crash, the wood splintered severely. The whole castle was probably shaking as Natsu in all of his fiery, boisterous glory burst into the room.

"Luce! Luce!" He crossed the room quickly and into Lucy's personal space in such a way that made Sting bristle in annoyance… in jealousy. "I've been looking for you all over! The feast is about to start!" He grinned at her, his dark eyes holding her gaze.

The blond dragon slayer watched as the girl seemed to let down all of her guards, her eyes softened like fresh, warm caramel until she moved just slightly towards her partner unthinkingly. "Okay, thanks. I was just helping Sting with his bandages." Her words were so so airy and soft, he was sure they would have felt like a lover caress on his skin.

There was the slightest pause between the two of them as they shared the same space, the same air. It was a moment between the two of them that nothing and no one could break. From his set at the edge of the bed, he was certain that between them their magics were mingling, intertwining. A soul connection. Sting was set aflame with jealousy at the intimacy that seemed to cling between the two. And for once he wasn't so sure that the fire dragon slayer was so oblivious, especially not with that deep glint in his dark eyes.

But then it was Lucy that broke the moment by turning away from the fire dragon slayer, her eyes flickering out towards the city. He was certain that he cheeks has turned a few shade darker. "We should head down and meet up with everyone." She turned again to the light dragon slayer, "Make sure you take care of yourself, Sting. You don't want those wounds to reopen." With a small, warm smile and a jingle of keys she left the room.

Sting frowned as he caught Natsu's eyes trailing after her with depth that he had seen only in moments of grave danger sparkling within them. But there was no danger here, there was just warmth and the faint city sounds and the lingering scent of star-shine and flowers.

Before he could analyze the situation further, the pink haired man turned on him, his eyes narrowed just slightly, "You are invited to the feast too. So you better be there." His tone was nonchalant and held no hostility, just caution. There was a silence before the fire turned to leave.

"Natsu." Sting called out, not really sure what he was doing.

He paused in the door way and turned to stare at the other dragon slayer curiously.

"Better not beat around the bush or else something precious will be snatched up from under your nose." The words were a clear warning that Natsu was very clearly not ignorant to. The two had a stare down which was unnerving since Sting was almost used to Natsu's childish by now.

Much to the light dragon slayers annoyance, a devilish grin curled over Natsu's mouth, "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that too much if I were you." And then he exited the room leaving Sting with nothing but his thoughts of defeat both on the battlefield and off.

Falling back into onto the bed he sighed. Natsu had everything: seemingly limitless power, caring comrades and the girl with a heart of gold.


End file.
